Papaveraceae

The poppy family in Belgium:
In this project we will document poppies and allies (Papaveraceae). These plants mostly grow on temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. The species usually produce capsules with large numbers of tiny black seeds, which enable poppies to spread very easily. Most species are herbaceous, bear brightly coloured flowers, and produce milky sap. The best known product of this family is opium, obtained from the dried milky sap of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). The seeds of this species are another well know product, used in bakery and confectionery. The common poppy (Papaver rhoeas), a very common pioneer species on the battlefields of World War I, became a symbol of the conflict.

The Belgian Herbarium:
The Botanic Garden Meise holds the largest herbarium collection of Belgian plant specimens. Each of these herbarium specimens has a label with valuable information such as the plant’s identification, and when, where, and who collected the plant. These specimens can be used in many domains of research, such as conservation, evolution, ecology and systematics. These data help us to better understand the plants of Belgium, their history and that of people who collected them. There are about 200,000 specimens in the Belgian Herbarium of the Botanic Garden Meise and we want to document them all! These data will then be made available online at www.botanicalcollections.be.

Keywords (Latin):
Belgium, Papaveraceae, Herbae, Hortus Botanicus Meise, Botanica