This is the robust red poppy of the fields, flowering in the springtime, mainly in cultivated hayfields and olive groves peppering the fields with brilliant red.

The hairy leaves are twice cut into narrow segments. The stem and sepals, which fall away when the petals open, are covered in stiff hairs. The four large overlapping bright red petals may or may not have a black mark at the base. There are many black or dark brown stamens in a circle around the central stigma disc which has 6-12 radiating ridges which catch the pollen grains.

The petals fall within a few days and the pistil (the female flower parts) develop into the characteristic, pepper-pot capsule of the poppy. In the case of P. rhoeas, this is smooth and rounded and held on a rigid upright stem.