Common Garden Poppy vs koala

Papaver somniferum compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Common Garden Poppy is Not Evaluated while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Garden Poppy	koala
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Ranunculales (Ranunculales)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Papaveraceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Papaver	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Papaver somniferum	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Common Garden Poppy

NE — Not Evaluated

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Garden Poppy	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Garden Poppy

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Angola), Asia (8 countries), Europe (27 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (5 countries).

koala

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found in Australia. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Garden Poppy

<em>Papaver somniferum</em>, commonly known as the common garden poppy or opium poppy, is an annual herbaceous plant in the family Papaveraceae. It has a cosmopolitan distribution spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, reflecting both its native range across parts of the Mediterranean and Middle East and its widespread cultivation and naturalization globally. The species typically grows in disturbed habitats, agricultural fields, roadsides, and gardens, and is widely cultivated both ornamentally and for the production of poppy seed and medicinal alkaloids. <em>Papaver somniferum</em> produces large, showy flowers in a range of colors from white to purple, followed by characteristic globose seed capsules. Its distribution is noted as not evaluated for conservation status. The species has deep historical and cultural significance across many human societies. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. As a broadly distributed and heavily cultivated plant, <em>Papaver somniferum</em> supports a range of pollinators and has become naturalized in many regions far beyond its original native range.

koala

Iconic marsupial of eastern and southeastern Australia, koalas weigh up to 15 kg and spend up to 22 hours daily sleeping to conserve energy from their low-calorie eucalyptus leaf diet. Highly specialized to process toxic eucalyptus compounds that would kill most other mammals, they have gut microbiomes uniquely adapted for detoxification. Listed as Endangered in 2022, with populations decimated by chlamydia disease, habitat clearing, and climate change.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia