SOURCE: A Wizard of Oz (1900) by L. Frank Baum

DESCRIPTION: "They now came upon more and more of the big scarlet poppies, and fewer and fewer of the other flowers; and soon they found themselves in the midst of a great meadow of poppies. Now it is well known that when there are many of these flowers together their odor is so powerful that anyone who breathes it falls asleep, and if the sleeper is not carried away from the scent of the flowers, he sleeps on and on forever. But Dorothy did not know this, nor could she get away from the bright red flowers that were everywhere about; so presently her eyes grew heavy and she felt she must sit down to rest and to sleep." (The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum)

NOTES: Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion are the only ones affected by the sleep poison of the Deadly Poppies which they encounter on their way to the Emerald City because they are living in the usual sense of the word. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodsman carry them out to save them from further poisoning. An army of mice destroy the poppy field after their queen is rescued by the Scarecrow and Tin Woodsman.

HISTORY: The Deadly Poppies were probably inspired by opium poppies. Baum lived at a time when people still smoked opium in dens or used it in medicines like laudinum.