SimplePlant

Papaveraceae

Opium poppy

Papaver somniferum L.

Family
Papaveraceae
Genus
Papaver

Pets and kids

  • CatsNot sure
  • DogsToxic
  • KidsNot sure
Why

Cats: Not sure

We found no reliable source on this plant for cats, so we don't call it safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked with your vet.

Dogs: Toxic

Toxic to dogs (severe). Toxic principle: opium alkaloids (including morphine and codeine).

Signs: sedation, ataxia, vomiting, respiratory depression, coma.

Kids: Not sure

We found no reliable source on this plant for young children, so we don't call it safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked with a doctor or poison control.

Opium poppy: Papaver somniferum , (en) Opium Poppy
Photo: tanja niggendijker from apeldoorn, the netherlands, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Is Opium poppy safe for cats, dogs and kids?

Is Opium poppy safe for cats?

We found no reliable source on this plant for cats, so we don't call it safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked with your vet.

Is Opium poppy safe for dogs?

No. Our sources call Opium poppy toxic to dogs (severe). Toxic principle: opium alkaloids (including morphine and codeine). Signs: sedation, ataxia, vomiting, respiratory depression, coma.

Is Opium poppy safe for kids?

We found no reliable source on this plant for young children, so we don't call it safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked with a doctor or poison control.

Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.

See all cat-safe plants, dog-safe plants and child-safe plants.

Similar names and close relatives

A shared name doesn't mean a shared answer: check the exact plant.

  • Oriental poppy Papaver orientalesimilar nameCats: Not sure; Dogs: Not sure; Kids: Toxic
  • Common poppy Papaver rhoeassimilar nameCats: Not sure; Dogs: Not sure; Kids: Not sure

Common names

By language (87)
ace
Apiyun
aeb
خشخاش
Arabic
خشخاش منوم, Opium poppy, ابو النوم, افيون, الخشخاش المنوم, خشخاش اسود, خشخاش الأحلام, خشخاش زبدي
Armenian
Պապավեր
arz
خشخاش منوم
Asturian
Adormidera
azb
یوخو خاشخاشی
Azerbaijani
Yuxu xaşxaşı
Bangla
পপি ফুল
Basque
Lo-belar, Opio-belar
Belarusian
Мак сеўны, Мак снатворны, Мак праўдзівы
blk
ယာမွူး
Bosnian
Opijumski mak
Bulgarian
Сънотворен мак, Афион, Опиумен мак
Burmese
ဘိန်းပင်
Cantonese
罌粟
Catalan
Cascall, Adormidera, Herba dormidora, Pintacoques
Chinese
罂粟, 罌粟, 囊子, 大烟, 大烟壳, 御米, 白花罂粟, 米囊
Corsican
Papaverum setigerum, Papaverum somniferum
Croatian
Mak
Czech
Mák setý
Danish
Opium-Valmue, Opiumsvalmue, Opiumvalmue
dsb
Zagrodny mak
Dutch
Slaapbol, Bolpapaver, Norman papaver
English
Opium poppy, Opium papaver somniferum
Esperanto
Opipapavo
Estonian
Unimagun
Filipino
Apian, Apyan, Opium poppy
Finnish
Oopiumiunikko, Oopiumunikko
French
Pavot somnifère, Pavot somnifere, Pavot à opium
Galician
Durmideira
Georgian
Ხაშხაში
German
Schlafmohn, Blaumohn, Schlaf-Mohn, Waldviertler Graumohn
Greek
Μήκων η υπνοφόρος
Hebrew
פרג האופיום, פרג מרדים, פרג תרבותי
Hindi
अफ़ीम पोस्ता
hsb
Zahrodny mak, Makojčka
Hungarian
Kerti mák
hyw
Հայկական Մեկոն
Icelandic
Ópíumvalmúi
Indonesian
Candu
Irish
Codlaidín
Italian
Papavero da oppio
Japanese
ケシ, けし, アヘンケシ, ソムニフェルム種, 罌粟, 芥子
Kannada
ಗಸಗಸೆ
Korean
양귀비, 아편꽃, 아편양귀비, 앵속, 양귀비꽃
kw
Myll koskles
lah
پوست
Latvian
Miega magone, Opija magone
Lithuanian
Daržinė aguona
lzh
罌粟
Macedonian
Афион
Malayalam
കറുപ്പ്
Marathi
खसखस
mnc
ᠪᡝᠯᡤᡝᡵᡳ ᡳᠯᡥᠠ
Norwegian Bokmål
Opiumsvalmue, Opiumvalmue
Norwegian Nynorsk
Opiumsvalmue
Occitan
Paparri, Pavòt
Odia
ଅଫିମ
os
Фынæйы зырзыраг
Pashto
کوکنار, اپين, اپيوم
Persian
خشخاش, کوکنار, ککنار, گل خشخاش
Polish
Mak lekarski
Portuguese
Papoila-dormideira, Papoila dormideira
Punjabi
ਪੋਸਤ
Quechua
Yuraq p'akincha, Adormidera, Puñuchiq amapula, Yuraq pakincha, Yuraqp'akincha, Yuraqpakincha
Romanian
Mac de grădină, Mac
rup
Afion
Russian
Мак опийный, Мак снотворный, Опийный мак, Опиумный мак
Serbian
Мак, Mak
Serbian (Latin)
Mak
shn
တူၼ်ႈယႃႈ, တူၼ်ႈယႃႈလမ်, တူၼ်ႈယႃႈၽိၼ်ႇ, ယႃႈလမ်
Sindhi
ڏوڏي
Slovak
Mak siaty
Slovenian
Vrtni mak, Opijev mak, Uspavalni mak
Spanish
Ababolones, Adormidera, Adormidera blanca, Adormilera, Amapola de adorno, Amapola de opio, Apio dormidera, Hierba cascales
Swahili
Mpopi, Mipopi
Swedish
Opiumvallmo, Fjädervallmo, Opievallmo
Tamil
கசகசா
Telugu
నల్లమందు
Thai
ต้นฝิ่น
Turkish
Haşhaş
Ukrainian
Мак городній, Мак снотворний
Urdu
پوست
Vietnamese
Anh túc, A phiến, Cây anh túc, Thẩu
Welsh
Llysiau cwsg
wuu
罂粟

Synonyms

  • Papaver album Mill.
  • Papaver album-nigrum Crantz
  • Papaver amoenum Lindl.
  • Papaver amplexicaule Stokes
  • Papaver indehiscens Dumort.
  • Papaver officinale C.C.Gmel.
  • Papaver opiiferum Forssk.
  • Papaver paeoniflorum (Alef.) Corrêa
  • Papaver somniferum var. album (Mill.) DC.
  • Papaver somniferum var. nigrum DC.
  • Papaver sylvestre Godr.

Characteristics

Growth habit
Forb/herb
Lifespan
Annual
In the US and Canada
Canada: introduced, Greenland: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

More in Papaver

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.