Papaver is a genus of 70 to 100 species of frost-tolerant annuals, biennials, and perennials native to temperate and cold regions of Eurasia, Africa and North America. It is the type genus of the poppy family, Papaveraceae.

This annual poppy is closely related to the more common Papaver somniferum but is smaller in size, growing to about 50-60cm high. Blooms are quite unique in that the inner petals are not flat but stay upright, resembling a tulip. The large 7-10cm flowers are scarlet with black blotches. They are prolific bloomers producing as many as 50 flowers per plant. These are a delight to grow and quite easy from seed.