Hylomecon

Taxobox
name = "Hylomecon vernalis"
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Ranunculales
familia = Papaveraceae
genus = "Hylomecon"
species = "H. vernalis"
binomial = "Hylomecon vernalis"
binomial_authority = Maxim

"Hylomecon vernalis", also known as the forest poppy, is a poppy of the Far East, ranging from Manchuria to Japan.

This poppy is a perennial that spreads via rhizomes, typically no taller than 30 cm. The pinnate leaves usually have five soft green leaflets, although three and seven occur as well, each with a shape ranging from lanceolate-oblong to rhombic, and a pattern of distinct teeth along the margins. The flowers are bright yellow 3.5-5 cm across, starting out bowl-shaped, then flattening out with age.

Its typical habitat is moist shaded woodland, growing in accumulated humus.

Although generally considered a monotypic genus, the species is somewhat variable, and several variations have been named as separate species.

References

* Christopher Grey-Wilson, "Poppies" (Portland: Timber Press, 2000) ISBN 0-88192-503-9 pp. 40-41