Californian Poppy
Californian Poppies, Somerset
Flower and unopened flower bud
Flower with stamerns
Stamens and early stigma
Stigmas and senescent stamens
Remains of stigma and beginning of capsule
Capsules
Leaves
Eschscholzia californica
Golden Poppy, Californian Sunlight.
It is the state flower of California.
Papaveraceae
May to August and all year in mild winters in the South.
It is mainly found in the Southwest, the South and
East Anglia.
It is more scattered elsewhere.
See the BSBI distribution map for Californian Poppy
It is widely grown as a garden plant throughout the
country.
It is a neophite introduced from the US in the 1820s
and recorded as an escape in the 1860s. It is widely
naturalised on waste ground, quarries and railways,
and cracks in pavements.
Californian Poppy in an annual or perennial herb, which
grows up to 30cm.
The flowers are solitary, about 5cm across, and have 4
silky, yellow to orange petals.
It is protanderous and has a long lasting stigma with
4 linear lobes.
The petals close at night and in wet or cloudy conditions.
The fruit is a long capsule, which splits along its length.
Leaves are green-blue-grey and are much divided, like
Parsley.
It has been traditionally eaten in the USA and used as
a cosmetic and an insecticide.
It is used in herbal medicine in pain relief and to treat
stress, nervous tension, insomnia, muscle spasms,
anxiety and hyperactivity.
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Californian Poppies, Somerset
Flower and unopened flower bud
Flower with stamerns
Stamens and early stigma
Stigmas and senescent stamens
Remains of stigma and beginning of capsule
Capsules
Leaves
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