We classify about 200 species into this family, which are distributed mainly in the northern hemisphere. Poppies contain latex rich in alkaloids, therefore they are poisonous. They have relatively large flowers, characterized by two sepals and four petals and a large number of stamens.
Flowers are solitary or grouped into few-flowered inflorescences. From the ovary develops a many-seeded fruit, which we call a head. The best-known genera that grow here are poppy and blood celandine.
