California Poppy
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The
California Poppy (
Eschscholzia californica) is a popular garden
flower of the family
Papaveraceae. It is native to
California and the southwestern
United States. It was named by the German romantic poet and explorer
Adelbert von Chamisso after his friend and colleague on the
Otto von Kotzebue scientific expedition to California in the early 19th century, the
Baltic German Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz.
Each plant will branch into many stems, each with a single, four-petaled yellow or orange bloom about 2 inches wide. It is drought tolerant and easy to grow; seeds and seedlings are sold commercially in other places with suitable climate, such as parts of
Australia. It readily naturalizes (reseeds).
Horticulturalists have produced strains with various other colors and blossom and stem forms. These typically do not breed true on reseeding.
This plant is the
State flower of
California, where it may readily be seen in the spring and early summer in many parts of the state.
Poppy seeds are often used in salads or on baked goods. Poppy seed pollen was once used cosmetically by Native Americans.
