The poppy

Poppies are a wild plant that has been disappearing from our fields, a flower that has given a reddish color to nature. Pesticides and other agrochemicals used in agriculture are to blame for this disappearance. This is bad for bees, as poppy pollen is a fantastic source of food for bees. Therefore, if we are lovers of the products of the hive: raw honey, royal jelly, pollen, propolis and wax, a great way to care for them is to let the poppies grow.

Summary: The poppy is a wild plant that we see in the spring season. From the point of view of beekeeping, this flower does not produce nectar, so there is no poppy honey, but it does provide a very nutritious pollen. Likewise, in our shop in Las Rozas de Madrid we offer a wide variety of products from the beehive: pollen, Spanish honeys (orange blossom, heather, strawberry tree, rosemary, thyme…).

Other interesting articles: Beeswax. Raw unpasteurised honey.

1. Characteristics of the poppy

The poppy is an annual herbaceous plant that can grow up to 50 cm high.  The whole plant is covered with white down. Its leaves are unequal, with very different shapes, but with a common characteristic, their edges are serrated, and they grow alternately from a main stem.

The flower has a very intense and characteristic red colour when it opens, which can sometimes turn orange.

In addition, it is said that the poppy came from the East, when it was brought mixed with other grains, from very remote times and once it arrived in Europe it adapted without any problem.

2. Poppy Habitat

The poppy is a low plant, between one and three palms high and does not live more than ten months. The poppy develops throughout Europe, is born with the rains of September, grows slowly during autumn and winter, blooming in early spring when its beautiful scarlet red flower appears. In May it forms its fruit and dies in the month of June.

The head-down flower of the poppy before opening is composed of two outer green sepals, forming the calyx, which fall off when the flower opens. This flower has four large, crossed, scarlet red petals, often with a blackish stain at the base, very thin, and lasting only one day.

The poppy flower does not offer nectar to bees, so there is no poppy honey, however, the nutritional value of its pollen, a black pollen, is very valuable to bees.

The red poppy flowers are found in roadside ditches, sometimes in the same crops, fallow fields and many gardens. However, the increase in industrial crops and the increased use of pesticides is causing the disappearance of wild plants, including poppies, which are increasingly difficult to find.

From the Cortijuelo de San Benito (aceitecsb.com) we want to warn of the damage we are doing to our habitat and its diversity, because with the disappearance of wild plants, is losing important sources of food for pollinating insects, such as bees, which produce the delicious delicacy, honey.

The lack of a balanced and complete diet is one of the causes that scientists believe is causing the so-called collapse of the hives. Other factors that affect it are pesticides and diseases such as varroa.

3. Properties of poppy

This plant has the following properties:

1. It acts against insomnia: it possesses compounds that have hypnotic and sedative properties, helping to get to sleep.
2. Asthma: It helps people who suffer from asthma.
3. Coughs and colds: it has a bactericidal capacity, so it can be used against colds.
4. Conjunctivitis: Its bactericidal properties can be used to cure conjunctivitis.

Its seeds are used to flavour dishes and breads.

4. Uses of the poppy

It can be used in the following ways:

a) Infusion

Bring water to the boil, and once it starts to boil, add dried poppy petals. Then let the infusion steep and sweeten with sugar or honey.

b) As food

To use them as food, it is recommended to toast them so that they can be used in salads, toast and other dishes.

5. The white poppy

Currently, white poppies are cultivated for medical purposes. The crops are located in hidden places to prevent people from getting there and using it for illegal purposes. Exactly to get opium out of it and use it as a drug. It seems that in Toledo there are some plantations of this plant.

Sources:

German magazine specialized in beekeeping, Bienen Journal. http://www.bienenjournal.de/aktuelles/meldungen/klatschmohn-blume-des-jahres-2017/

Plantas medicinales. El Dioscórides renovado. Editorial Labor S. A.