Hylomecon

Hylomecon vernalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Papaveraceae
Genus:	Hylomecon
Species:	H. vernalis
Binomial name
Hylomecon vernalis Maxim.
Synonyms
Chelidonium japonicum Thunb. Chelidonium vernale (Maxim.) Ohwi Hylomecon japonica (Thunb.) Prantl

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