Coquelicot: Flower + Colour

Recently, I googled most unusual colours and I was most surprised to find one of the rarest colours was named after a flower!

Coquelicot is a shade of red. The term was originally a French vernacular name for the wild corn poppy, Papaver rhoeas, which is distinguished by its bright red colour, and orange tint. It eventually passed into English usage as the name of a colour based upon that of the flower. The first recorded use of this usage was in the year 1795. Claude Monet painted Les Coquelicots or Poppies Blooming in 1873.

Do you love poppies and want to learn more about them?  Read our Flower Profile: Iceland Poppies.