California Poppy

Eschscholzia californica

The California state flower.  It is an annual fire-follower occurring widely on dry slopes in many plant communties. At maturity the long slender fruit splits with a pop from the apex down, flinging the seed some distance. The plant
is poisonous to livestock and most insects but the flower can be eaten by Blister beetles, Lytta sp.  Native Americans and Spanish Californians used the seeds and leaves as a food source, the petals as a hair dressing and yellow dye, the pollen as a cosmetic, and tea prepared from the chopped plant as a remedy for headache, toothache, and insomnia. Native plant populations in Orange County produce seed that remains dormant until exposed to winter/spring conditions, fire or other unknown factors.  Central California populations and commercial plantings produce non-dormant seeds. 

This species has become an exotic pest in parts of Chile and Australia!

Back to Papaveraceae of Orange County, California
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