Opium is produced and available for collection for only a few days of the plant's life.

Question

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Opium is produced by the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and is available for collection only when the seed pods are ripe, which is a brief period in the plant's life cycle. After the petals fall off, the seed pods exude a milky latex that contains opium, and this latex is collected by making incisions into the pods. This stage lasts for only a few days before the latex dries and the opium is no longer easily harvestable.

Opium Is Produced and Available for Collection for Only a Few