The colors below indicate the kind of documentation available for this species
in the California counties where it occurs.
California Poppy Eschscholzia californica (Papaveraceae)
The petals of the California Poppy have a sheen that magically transforms their orange color into metallic gold. How did California's state flower get its unusual scientific name—Eschscholzia? It is named for Johann Friedrich Eschscholtz (1793-1831), surgeon and naturalist with Russian expeditions to the Pacific Coast in 1816 and 1824. The flowering process of this poppy unfolds like a play. Each bud is enclosed by two fused sepals that are united into a cap that is pushed off by the four expanding petals. When the petals fall away, a pinkish rim becomes evident as a spreading collar at the base of the elongate developing capsule.
DISTRIBUTION: Grassy areas and disturbed sites throughout the Calif. Floristic Province and western areas east of the Sierra Nevada to the Mojave Desert; 0-2000 m.
