Oreomecon alpina, synonym Papaver alpinum, the Alpine poppy or dwarf poppy, is a poppy found in the Alps. The circumscription of the species varies considerably. In some treatments, the species is one of a group of related species, and includes several subspecies, four of which are found in Austria. In other treatments, it includes species that have been treated as separate, and has at most one subspecies.
Description The Alpine poppy is a short, upright, hairy perennial with all basal leaves. The flower grows to a height of 5 to 25 centimeters, with several upright and hairy stems.
The flowers are hermaphroditic and radially symmetric, with a diameter of 2 to 5 cm. The flower petals are usually white to yellow, but can also be light to quite orange or red. The flowering period is from July to August.
All Alpine poppy subspecies have a strong taproot and make a good rockery plant. The root hairs are angled upwards, which helps secure the plant.
Taxonomy Oreomecon alpina was given the scientific name Papaver alpinum in 1753 by Linnaeus. It was moved to the new genus Oreomecon in 2021 by Enrico Augusto Banfi, Fabrizio Bartolucci, Jean-Marc Tison, and Gabriele Galasso giving the species its accepted name.
Subspecies Three subspecies are accepted according to Plants of the World Online:
Oreomecon alpina subsp. alpinaThe autonymic subspecies is widespread in Europe from France to Poland and as far south as Bulgaria. Oreomecon alpina subsp. fatraemagnaeNative to just the former Czechoslovakia. It was described for the first time in 2002. Oreomecon alpina subsp. tatricaThis subspecies is limited to just the western Carpathian Mountains. It was first described in 1942.
Oreomecon alpina has a large number of synonyms, according Plants of the World Online, including 16 species.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Synonym of: Notes Oreomecon alpina subsp. degenii 2024 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Oreomecon alpina subsp. ernesti-mayeri 2024 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Oreomecon alpina subsp. kerneri 2024 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Oreomecon alpina subsp. markgrafiana 2024 subspecies subsp. alpina = het., nom. superfl. Oreomecon alpina subsp. occidentalis 2024 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Oreomecon alpina subsp. sendtneri 2024 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Oreomecon alpina subsp. victoris 2024 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Oreomecon aurantiaca 2024 species subsp. alpina = het. Oreomecon tatrica 2023 species subsp. tatrica ≡ hom. Papaver alpinum 1753 species O. alpina ≡ hom. Papaver alpinum var. albiflorum 1851 variety subsp. alpina = het., nom. illeg. Papaver alpinum var. albiflorum 1836 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum f. albiflorum 1869 form subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum lusus albiflorum 1869 sport subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. album 1859 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. angustius 1958 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. angustius 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. aurantiacum 1958 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. aurantiacum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. biconvex 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subsp. burseri 1909 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. burseri 1914 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum proles burseri 1893 proles subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. citrinum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum f. decipiens 1903 form subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subsp. degenii 1958 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. degenii 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. elegans 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subsp. ernesti-mayeri 1958 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum lusus europaeum 1862 sport subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. fallacinum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subsp. flaviflorum 1882 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. flaviflorum 1835 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. flavum 1859 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subf. glabrescens 1914 subform subsp. alpina = het., nom. illeg. Papaver alpinum subvar. hirsutum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het., nom. illeg. Papaver alpinum subf. hispidum 1914 subform subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. igneum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. intermedium 1905 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. intermedium 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. julicum 1974 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subsp. kerneri 1909 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. kerneri 1958 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. kerneri 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. lancifolium 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. occidentale 1958 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. pseudobiconvex 1942 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. pseudobiconvex 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum var. pseudoelegans 1942 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. pseudoelegans 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. puniceum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subsp. rhaeticum 1889 subspecies subsp. alpina = het., nom. superfl. Papaver alpinum var. rhaeticum 1958 variety subsp. alpina = het., nom. superfl. Papaver alpinum f. rhaeticum 1910 form subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum proles rhaeticum 1893 proles subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. roseolum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. rubellum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. rubicundum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subsp. sendtneri 1909 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. sendtneri 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. subminiatum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. sulphurellum 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subsp. tatricum 1942 subspecies subsp. tatrica ≡ hom. Papaver alpinum var. tatricum 1958 variety subsp. tatrica ≡ hom. Papaver alpinum var. widderi 1958 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver alpinum subvar. widderi 1958 subvariety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver aurantiacum 1809 species subsp. alpina = het. Papaver burseri 1763 species subsp. alpina = het. Papaver burseri var. bicolor 1838 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver burseri var. biconvex 1942 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver burseri var. elegans 1942 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver burseri var. sulphurellum 1932 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver decipiens 1893 species subsp. alpina = het. Papaver degenii 1970 species subsp. alpina = het. Papaver julicum 1960 species subsp. alpina = het. Papaver kerneri 1903 species subsp. alpina = het. Papaver lapponicum subsp. occidentale 1959 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Papaver nudicaule subsp. alpinum 1839 subspecies O. alpina ≡ hom. Papaver nudicaule var. flaviflorum 1839 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver occidentale 1972 species subsp. alpina = het. Papaver pyrenaicum var. albiflorum 1882 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver pyrenaicum subsp. aurantiacum 1905 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Papaver pyrenaicum var. aurantiacum 1882 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver pyrenaicum aurantiacum 1919 subsp. alpina = het. Papaver pyrenaicum subsp. degenii 1920 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Papaver pyrenaicum var. lancifolium 1942 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver pyrenaicum subsp. rhaeticum 1909 subspecies subsp. alpina = het., nom. superfl. Papaver pyrenaicum var. rubicundum 1927 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver pyrenaicum subsp. sendtneri 1909 subspecies subsp. alpina = het. Papaver rhaeticum 1874 species subsp. alpina = het. Papaver sendtneri 1903 species subsp. alpina = het. Papaver sendtneri var. fallacinum 1927 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver sendtneri var. roseolum 1908 variety subsp. alpina = het. Papaver suaveolens 1818 species subsp. alpina = het., nom. superfl. Papaver tatricum 1973 species subsp. tatrica ≡ hom. Papaver tatricum subsp. fatraemagnae 2002 subspecies subsp. fatraemagnae ≡ hom. Papaver victoris 1988 species subsp. alpina = het. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym
Chemistry The alkaloids amurensine and amurensinine can be found in O. alpina.The isopavine structure of amurensine and amurensinine. F. Šantavý, M. Maturová and L. Hruban, Chem. Commun. (London), 1966, pages 36-36,
References Citations
Sources Books
Bittkau C, Kadereit JW. 2002. Phylogenetic and geographical relationships in Papaver alpinum L. (Papaveraceae) based on RAPD data. Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 123: 463–479.
Web sources
External links