Oreomecon alpina, synonym Papaver alpinum, the Alpine poppy or dwarf poppy, is a poppy found in the Alps. The circumscription of the species varies considerably. In some treatments, the species is one of a group of related species, and includes several subspecies, four of which are found in Austria. In other treatments, it includes species that have been treated as separate, and has at most one subspecies.
The Alpine poppy is a short, upright, hairy perennial with all basal leaves. The flower grows to a height of 5 to 25 centimeters, with several upright and hairy stems.
The flowers are hermaphroditic and radially symmetric, with a diameter of 2 to 5 cm. The flower petals are usually white to yellow, but can also be light to quite orange or red. The flowering period is from July to August.
All Alpine poppy subspecies have a strong taproot and make a good rockery plant. The root hairs are angled upwards, which helps secure the plant.
Oreomecon alpina was given the scientific name Papaver alpinum in 1753 by Linnaeus. It was moved to the new genus Oreomecon in 2021 by Enrico Augusto Banfi, Fabrizio Bartolucci, Jean-Marc Tison, and Gabriele Galasso giving the species its accepted name.
Three subspecies are accepted according to Plants of the World Online:
Oreomecon alpina has a large number of synonyms, according Plants of the World Online, including 16 species.
The alkaloids amurensine and amurensinine can be found in O. alpina.