Eschscholzia
Eschscholzia is a genus of 12 flowering plants in the
Papaveraceae (poppy) family. The
genus was named after the Baltic German botanist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz
(1793-1831).
Many of the plants in this genus are annuals or perennials with deeply cut glabrous or glaucous leaves. These are mostly
basal, but a few grow on the stem.
They feature showy four-petaled yellow or orange terminal flowers, growing solitary
or in many-flowered cymes. They are funnel-shaped.
The two fused sepals fall off as the flower bud opens. The petals are wedge-shaped. There
are 12 to numerous stamens.
They develop a cylindrical, dehiscent fruit, giving off many tiny seeds.
Thery are widely cultivated. These flowers have the habit of closing in cloudy weather.
The taproot gives off a colorless or orange milky juice. These plants are toxic.
The best-known is the California Poppy (Eschscholzia
californica), the state flower of California; others include E.
caespitosa and E. mexicana.
Species
They prosper in warm, dry climates, but withstand some frost. They grow in poor soils
with good water drainage.
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