European regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)

Papaver rhoeas is a common and widespread species and is not of conservation concern. There have been local declines due to the application of herbicides in agriculture, but it is still a widespread species with a long-lived seed bank.

Papaver rhoeas is native to Europe, western temperate Asia and North Africa (USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program 2012, Aghababian 2011). It has become naturalised outside of this range and is now widespread throughout tropical and west Asia and North America (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2012, Castroviejo et al. 1986).

This species is common and widespread throughout its distribution. Although there have been losses around the edges of its range, especially in the United Kingdom, the overall distribution is remarkably stable (Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora 2012).

A rough, hairy annual found in cultivated and arable fields, waste places, roadsides, scrub clearance, field boundaries growing on open disturbed, often calcareous soils. It is far less frequent on cultivated land due to modern agricultural practices as it is sensitive to herbicide, but can be abundant in unsprayed strips in fields. It is also frequent in wildflower seed mixtures and occurs as a garden escape (Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora 2012, Blamey and Grey-Wilson 2003).

The seeds of this species can lie dormant in the soil for 80 years before germinating, usually triggered by soil disturbance (Royal Botanic Garden, Kew 2012).

Agricultural practices and use of herbicides can cause disturbance for this species.

This species is a cultural icon and distinctive symbol of wartime remembrance. The delicate red flowers are an attractive and popular feature of the countryside and have long been recognised as symbols of fertility and death. The flowers can be used for ornamental purposes and for red dye. It has a long history of medicinal use: the flowers have been used in treating mild pain caused by earache, toothache and neuralgia and an infusion of the petals is traditionally taken for coughs, insomnia and poor digestion (Royal Botanic Garden, Kew 2012).
 
Unlike the related opium poppy (P. somniferum) it is non-addictive. However it contains alkaloids and should only be used under the supervision of a qualified herbalist. The flowers and petals have hypnotic, slightly narcotic and sedative properties. An infusion can be taken internally for treating bronchial complaints and coughs, insomnia, poor digestion, nervous digestive disorders, minor painful conditions and jaundice. The latex in the seedpods is also a narcotic and slightly sedative and can be used in very small quantities as a sleep-inducing drug but caution is advised. The leaves and seeds are tonic and are useful in the treatment of low fevers. Poppy seeds are edible and often used in bakery (Plants for a Future 2012).

The Common Poppy suffered a decline with the intensification of agriculture and the increasing use of herbicides after the Second World War, but recovered in Britain in the 1980s as a result of the policy of ‘set-aside’ in which farmers were rewarded for taking agricultural land out of production (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2012).

The species is listed as Near Threatened in Luxembourg (Colling 2005), but is considered Least Concern in Belgium (Van Landuyt et al. 2006), Germany (Ludwig and Schnittler 1996), Switzerland (Moser et al. 2002) and the United Kingdom (Cheffings and Farrell 2005).