Oreomecon nudicaulis, synonym Papaver nudicaule, the Iceland poppy, is a boreal flowering plant. It is native to subpolar regions of Asia and the Yukon in North America (but not Iceland), and has been introduced elsewhere (south Argentina, Colorado, Greenland, and Tibet). Iceland poppies are hardy but short-lived perennials, often grown as biennials. They yield large, papery, bowl-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers supported by hairy, curved stems among feathery blue-green foliage 1–6 inches long. They were first described by botanists in 1759. The wild species blooms in white or yellow, and is hardy from USDA Zones 3a-10b.

Taxonomy The first scientific name of Oreomecon nudicaulis was Papaver nudicaule, given to the species in 1753 by Linnaeus. In 2021 the new genus Oreomecon was described by Enrico Augusto Banfi, Fabrizio Bartolucci, Jean-Marc Tison, and Gabriele Galasso including Oreomecon nudicaulis. According to Plants of the World Online (POWO) this is the accepted name of the species, though Papaver nudicaule continues to be used in some sources. In POWO it has three accepted subspecies:

Oreomecon nudicaulis subsp. americana – In Alaska and the Yukon Oreomecon nudicaulis subsp. microcarpa – Kamchatka and Magadan Oreomecon nudicaulis subsp. nudicaulis – Siberia and the Russian Far East

Oreomecon nudicaulis has synonyms of the species or one of its three subspecies.

Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Synonym of: Notes Oreomecon insularis 2024 species subsp. nudicaulis = het. Oreomecon microcarpa 2023 species subsp. microcarpa ≡ hom. Oreomecon nudicaulis subsp. insularis 2024 subspecies subsp. nudicaulis = het. Oreomecon ochotensis 2024 species subsp. microcarpa = het. Papaver alpinum var. album 1862 variety subsp. nudicaulis = het., nom. illeg. Papaver alpinum lusus bipinnatisectum 1862 sport subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver alpinum lusus glabrescens 1862 sport subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver alpinum lusus glabrescens 1862 sport subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver alpinum lusus hirsutum 1862 sport subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver alpinum lusus hirsutum 1862 sport subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver alpinum lusus kamtschaticum 1862 sport subsp. microcarpa = het. Papaver alpinum var. microcarpum 1842 variety subsp. microcarpa ≡ hom. Papaver alpinum subsp. nudicaule 1889 subspecies O. nudicaulis ≡ hom. Papaver alpinum var. nudicaule 1837 variety O. nudicaulis ≡ hom. Papaver alpinum var. xanthopetaum 1860 variety subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver insulare 2023 species subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver microcarpum 1821 species subsp. microcarpa ≡ hom. Papaver microcarpum var. bipinnatifidum 1975 variety subsp. microcarpa = het. Papaver microcarpum subsp. ochotense 1975 subspecies subsp. microcarpa = het. Papaver microcarpum var. xanthopetalum 1977 variety subsp. microcarpa = het., without indication of the type. Papaver miniatum 1830 species subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule 1753 species O. nudicaulis ≡ hom. Papaver nudicaule subsp. album 1909 subspecies subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule subsp. americanum 1995 subspecies subsp. americana ≡ hom. Papaver nudicaule subsp. baicalense 1931 subspecies subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule subsp. commune 1832 subspecies subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule var. commune 1930 variety subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule f. gracile 1899 form subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule subsp. insulare 1983 subspecies subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule var. kamtschaticum 1909 variety subsp. microcarpa = het. Papaver nudicaule subsp. microcarpum 1909 subspecies subsp. microcarpa ≡ hom. Papaver nudicaule var. microcarpum 2024 variety subsp. microcarpa ≡ hom. Papaver nudicaule f. patulum 1931 form subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule var. pilosum 1839 variety subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule f. pygmaea 1887 form subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule var. riparia 2003 variety subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule f. rubriflora 1891 form subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver nudicaule f. typicum 1931 form O. nudicaulis ≡ hom. Papaver ochotense 1931 species subsp. microcarpa = het. Papaver ochotense var. bipinnatifidum 1854 variety subsp. microcarpa = het. Papaver pseudocorydalifolium 1909 species subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver pulvinatum subsp. lenaense 2016 subspecies subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver pyrenaicum var. puniceum 1821 variety subsp. nudicaulis = het. Papaver radicatum subsp. kamtschaticum 1936 subspecies subsp. microcarpa = het. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym

Names The Latin specific epithet nudicaulis means "with bare stems". The common name Icelandic poppy is a source of confusion as the species is not native to Iceland or Europe.

Cultivars Cultivars come in shades of yellow, orange, salmon, rose, pink, cream and white as well as bi-colored varieties. Seed strains include: 'Champagne Bubbles' (15-inch plants in orange, pink, scarlet, apricot, yellow, and creamy-white); 'Wonderland' (10-inch dwarf strain with flowers up to 4 inches wide); 'Flamenco' (pink shades, bordered white, 1 to 2 feet tall); 'Party Fun' (to 1 foot, said to bloom reliably the first year in autumn and the second spring); 'Illumination' and 'Meadow Pastels' (to 2 feet, perhaps the tallest strains); 'Matador' (scarlet flowers to 5 inches across on 16 inch plants); the perennial 'Victory Giants' with red petals and 'Oregon Rainbows', which has large selfed, bicolor, and picoteed flowers and is perhaps the best strain for the cool Pacific Northwest (elsewhere this strain's buds frequently fail to open).

The dwarf Gartenzwerg group, and the cultivars 'Solar Fire Orange' and 'Summer Breeze Orange' have all won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Cultivation

The plants prefer light, well-drained soil and full sun. The plants are not hardy in hot weather, perishing within a season in hot summer climates.

Iceland poppies, like all poppies, possess exceedingly minute seeds and long taproots that resent disturbance. In cool summer climates on well-drained soils, Iceland poppies can live 2–3 seasons, flowering from early spring to fall.

Iceland poppies are amongst the best poppies for cutting, as they last for several days in the vase.

Genetics The genetics of the garden forms of O. nudicaulis have been studied, particularly with respect to flower colour. The white flower colour is dominant with respect to yellow. Other colours, such as buff and orange, are recessive.

Toxicity All parts of this plant are likely to be poisonous, containing (like all poppies) toxic alkaloids. In particular, O. nudicaulis has been shown to contain the benzophenanthidine alkaloid, chelidonine. It also contains (+)-amurine, (-)-amurensinine, (-)-O-methylthalisopavine, (-)-flavinantine and (-)-amurensine.

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