Papaver radicatum (Arctic poppy)

This frail looking but hardy poppy favors arctic and alpine zones in Europe, North America, and Asia. The arctic poppy’s northern range limit, a latitude of 83°40’N on Kaffeklubben Island, exceeds that of nearly all plants worldwide.

Plants: Plants are loosely to densely tufted, with tufts up to 6″ (15 cm) around.

Leaves: Up to 4½″ (12 cm) long, with stems (petioles) about two thirds the length of each leaf. Leaves are green on both top and bottom, and lanceolate, and split into 2-3 pairs of smaller lobes.

Flowers: Pale yellow to white flowers up to 2½″ (6.5 cm) in diameter appear atop hairy stems 4–6″ (10–15 cm) long. Rarely the flowers are pink-tinged, or even brick red. Each flower contains 4-7 yellow stigmas, surrounded by a spray of yellow anthers. The parabolic shape of the flower petals focuses heat toward the center of each flower, a benefit to their pollinators, which include the Arctic bumblebee.

Fruits: Seed pods vary from spherical to elongated oval in shape. They are covered with fine hairs (trichomes).

6/19/2019 · Westfjords Region, Iceland · By John W. Kent

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Magnoliidae	Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others
Order	Papaverales	A group that includes buttercups and other poisonous plants
Family	Papaveraceae	Poppy family
Genus	Papaver	The classical Latin name for the poppy
Species	radicatum	From Latin rādīcātum, root, a reference to aerial roots

About plant names...