''Papaver radicatum'' is a species of poppy known by the common names Arctic poppy, rooted poppy, and yellow poppy. It is a flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae.

Distribution

''Papaver radicatum'' is circumpolar in distribution and grows in arctic and alpine zones in Europe, North America, and Asia. ''Papaver radicatum'' grows at a latitude of 83°40'N on Kaffeklubben Island, making it one of the northernmost plants in the world. It appears on the Coat of arms of Nunavut. The plant is known for appearing in white and yellow colorations. The yellow variant is much more widely distributed, occurring out in the open, compared to the white flowers typically only found in more remote locations.

Characteristics

''Papaver radicatum'' has hair like structures covering the stem and sepals that are used to retain heat to act as insulation. The plant also shows

heliotropism Heliotropism, a form of tropism, is the diurnal or seasonal motion of plant parts (flowers or leaves) in response to the direction of the Sun. The habit of some plants to move in the direction of the Sun, a form of tropism, was already known by ...

where the flower grows to face the sunlight, and the petals reflect light towards the pistil. The petals grow in a cup shape that are used to trap light and air inside to be used as warmth for the ovaries.

Pollination

Bombus polaris ''Bombus polaris'' is a common Arctic bumblebee species. ''B. polaris'' is one of two bumblebees that live above the Arctic Circle. The other is its social parasite '' Bombus hyperboreus''. ''B. polaris'' is a social bee that can survive at near ...

'' is a known pollinator of this species. Its pollinator impact is heaviest in early spring, decreasing as the year continues. As the year ends, the fly population is known to be the major pollinator at that time.

Taxonomy

The

Flora of North America The ''Flora of North America North of Mexico'' (usually referred to as ''FNA'') is a multivolume work describing the native plants and naturalized plants of North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and a ...

lists four subspecies: *''Papaver radicatum'' subsp. ''alaskanum'' (Hultén) J. P. Anderson *''Papaver radicatum'' subsp. ''kluanensis'' (D. Löve) D. F. Murray *''Papaver radicatum'' subsp. ''polare'' Tolmatchew *''Papaver radicatum'' subsp. ''radicatum''

References

External links