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California Poppy
Eschscholzia californica
  
About California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) 81 Nurseries Carry This Plant The California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is native to grassy and open areas from sea level to 6500 feet altitude in the western United States throughout California, extending to Oregon, southern Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and the Sonoran and northwest Baja areas of Mexico.

It can grow 2 to 24 inches tall, with alternately branching waxy pale blue-green foliage. The leaves are divided into round, lobed segments. The flowers are solitary on long stems, silky-textured, with four petals, each petal 3/4 to 2 1/2 inches long and broad; their color ranges from yellow (particularly in southern California) to orange, and flowering is from February to September. The petals close at night or in cold, windy weather; they open again the following morning, although they may remain closed in cloudy weather.

The fruit is a slender capsule 1 to 3 1/2 inches long, which splits in two to release its numerous small black or dark brown seeds. It is perennial in mild parts of its native range, annual in harsher colder and hotter climates.

It was selected as the state flower by the California State Floral Society in December 1890, winning out over the Mariposa Lily (genus Calochortus) and the Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri) by a landslide, but the state legislature did not make the selection official until 1903. Its golden blooms were deemed a fitting symbol for the Golden State.

This plant is tough, fast-growing, drought-adapted, self-seeding, and easy to grow in gardens. It is best grown as an annual, in full sun, but it will tolerate part shade. It prefers well-draining, sandy, often poor soils.

Leaves and roots are rumored to have a sedative effect.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Annual herb, Perennial herb

Size
Size
0.16 - 2 ft tall
1 - 2 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Mounding, Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Summer Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Slight

Flower Color
Flower Color
Orange, Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Winter, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 
Birds, small herbivores, butterflies, bees, other pollinators

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 5 confirmed , 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low, Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10 - 20° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers sandy, infertile, well-drained soils.. Soil PH: 5 - 8

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Lupinus species, Phacelia species, Clarkia species, Abronia species, Calfornia Buckwheat, White Sage, Chinese Houses, California Fuschia

Maintenance
Maintenance
Rabbits and other small herbivores eat this plant, but it grows back so quickly that they are not much of a problem.. Best to cut down to the ground after the plant goes summer deciduous. Sometimes plants will last through the summer and come back when the rainy season begins, especially in milder climates.

Propagation
Propagation?
Easily grown from seed, and readily reseeds. Can be invasive. For propagating by seed: No treatment. Seeds can be hand-collected from the seed pods the plant produces after the flower's petals fall off. The seeds are ready to take when the pods become dry and brown. This plant propagates itself by the design of the seed pods which burst open with a impressive amount of force. To plant: Simply take the seeds and throw them in the desired area and allow the rains to water them. Do not cover with soil or mulch. Watering is helpful until plants are established.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10*, 11*, 12*, 13, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Open, grassy places

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.3" - 108.1", Summer Precipitation: 0.13" - 3.08", Coldest Month: 24.6" - 61.4", Hottest Month: 45.5" - 88.4", Humidity: 0.01" - 42.13", Elevation: -10" - 11310"


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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