Papaveraceae  

Papaveraceae ♦ 

Plants producing milky or colored latex in articulated laticifers or less often in elongate latex cells. Flowers actinomorphic. Sepals 2 or 3, rarely 4, free or sometimes more or less  connate, fully enclosing the bud before anthesis. Petals usually in two cycles of two or three, usually caducous, imbricate and often crumpled in bud, rarely lacking or in more than two cycles. Stamens mostly numerous, free. Gynoecium of 2–25 carpels. Perennial or annual herbs, rarely evergreen shrubs or small trees. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite or verticillate, mostly variously divided, n = 5–10, 14 (Argemone)

 CHELIDONIOIDEAE
Rhizomatous perennials or arborescent plants. Latex orange, yellow or red. Hairs multicellular and terminally uniseriate. Perianth 2-merous. Gynoecium 2-carpellate.Fruits opening by valves. Seeds mostly arillate (except Glaucium). n = 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, chromosomes relatively large to very small. – chelidonieae: Sanguinaria, Eomecon,; glaucieae: Glaucium, Dicranostigma; bocconieae: Macleaya, Bocconia

 ESCHSCHOLZIOIDEAE

Perennial or annual herbs or arborescent plants. Hairs unicellular. Perianth 2 (rarely 3)-merous. Gynoecium 2-carpellate. Fruits with ten conspicuous longitudinal ribs, opening by valves and usually explosively. Seeds nonarillate or (Dendromecon) arillate. n = 6, 7, 8, chromosomes small , metacentric. –Dendromecon, Hunnemannia,.

 PAPAVEROIDEAE
Large suffruticose herbs to tiny annuals. Hairs multicellular and multiseriate. Perianth 2- or 3-merous. Gynoecium 2–24-carpellate.Stigma laterally confluent. Fruits opening by three or usually more valves. Seeds usually nonarillate (except Arctomecon). n = 7, less often 6, 8 and (Argemone) 14, chromosomes rather large or (Argemone) small, generally submetacentric and intercentric. – papavereae: Papaver, Roemeria, Argemone.

 PLATYSTEMONOIDEAE
Annual herbs with narrow and entire, often opposite or verticillate leaves. Hairs multicellular and multiseriate. Perianth 3-merous. Gynoecium 3-carpellate or (Platystemon) 6–25-carpellate. Carpel tips and stigmas free. Fruits opening by basipetal separation of carpels along placentas without formation of valves or (Platystemon) breaking transversely into 1-seeded segments. n = 6, 7, 8, chromosomes metacentric, rather large. – Platystemon, Hesperomecon, Meconella