COLUMBIA – “In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row .... ” So begins “In Flanders Fields,” written in 1915 by John McCrae, a Canadian poet and military physician. “The poem’s powerful imagery of sacrifice, remembrance, and duty helped to make poppy one of the most recognized symbols to honor soldiers who have died in combat,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. More than a century later, the poppy is still used to honor our fallen military heroes. The poppy referred to by McCrae is known today as the corn poppy or Flanders poppy (Papaver rhoeas), a common flower native to Europe, Trinklein says. Its seeds often lie dormant for years and spring to life when the soil is disturbed. This happened in European cemeteries used to bury fallen soldiers of World War I, which is one reason the plant is associated with those who have died in combat. Poppies belong to the Papaveraceae family, which contains 30 genera and about 600…