I am trying to discern what kind of flower is depicted in the following photograph: https://genealogydocuments.org/UnidentifiedFlower.jpg It is a photo of a piece of art (a bas-relief) created by my grandmother (1880-1925), an artist in San Francisco sometime in the first two decades of the 20th century (sometime between 1905 and 1920). Merely guessing as an amateur, I am not sure whether it is: (1) a poppy (however, the leaves on the artwork do not seem consistent with those of a poppy): https://www.jungledragon.com/image/60529/papaver_rhoeas.html/zoom https://www.jungledragon.com/specie/622/common_poppy.html# or (2) a parrot tulip (however, the artwork seems to show a more numerous collection of anthers than appear normally in a tulip and the leaves on the artwork seem too "jagged"): https://www.tulipworld.com/Shared/Images/Product/Apricot-Parrot-Tulip/38155-1.jpg or (3) something else altogether. Does anyone have any further ideas? Stephen
Compare against Papaver somniferum -- I think you'll find the leaves much more resemble your grandmother's artwork.
Thank you, Daniel and Ron. Based on your findings, I looked for and located the following image that seems to confirm what you've reported: https://www.bolster.eu/opium-poppy-red-papaver-somniferum/p208. Unlike most images I otherwise saw of the papaver somniferum (which show white anthers), the anthers on the poppy, shown at that linked-to site from the Netherlands, are black, as in the artwork. And of course, the leaves on the poppy you reported and as seen in multiple images available seemingly are consistent with those shown on the artwork. Thank you!
Papaver somniferum anthers are black when the flowers first open, but turn white after the blackish pollen has been harvested by bees - so both sets of images are correct :-)
Dear Daniel and Ron, Prior to posting my inquiry here I had written to a University of California Cooperative Extension and received two responses from two persons associated with the extension. One response was short and the other extensive and I wonder if you would like to add your reactions: 1. Short response: "My wife thinks it is a Rhoes poppy. Or, at least the flower appears to be a poppy." 2. Lengthy response: "It looks like an icelandic poppy which were very popular subjects with artists and photographers in the early 1900s. See this reference: https://bloomcollege.com.au/blog/natures-brushstrokes-the-enigmatic-world-of-iceland-poppies/#:~:text=These%20resilient%20flowers%20were%20discovered,serene%20and%20often%20otherworldly%20landscapes. Here also is a nice artist representation of the iceland poppy on a seed packet: https://bucktownseed.com/products/iceland-poppy-seeds?variant=42464281264310¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4Y-sBhC6ARIsAGXF1g4Q7wmDy_CrO7XqKmYzdT8sWHOL2Dw8OTM4iVeQuFE3y9P3JsUYajYaAmYTEALw_wcB If either of you have anything to comment on concerning the above two responses, that, too, will be helpful to me. Thank you. Stephen
Also worth considering Papaver orientale - that has similar flower shape with a large pod and anthers.
Definitely a poppy, definitely not an opium poppy with that much bare stem. Otherwise, it is impossible to tell what particular kind.
