In Poppy Andrew Lack explores all aspects of one of our most familiar but declining flowers, combining history and biology with symbolic associations and connections with the arts. He describes why the poppy is so intimately associated with war and remembrance, and tells remarkable stories about the different varieties: the opium poppy, one of the oldest of narcotics, has had a profound influence on human history; the phrase 'tall poppy syndrome' is now used to describe envy of the success of a peer; and in many countries the poppy has come to symbolize weddings or death."--Publisher's information.