Papaver Lasiothrix

This tough, rare variant of Papaver orientale has smaller, blood-red, black-eyed flowers with just 4-5 cm long petals, atop short, thick, hairy stems, which are erect rather than floppy. A beautiful, rarely offered flower, it is native to eastern Turkey (Lazistan to Cappodocia), the Caucasus, and the northern and north-western part of Iran where it grows in meadows, forest glades and rocky slopes at altitudes up to 1450 m above sea level.