California poppy is a
perennial or
annual plant growing to tall with
alternately branching glaucous blue-green foliage. The leaves are alternately divided into round, lobed segments. The
flowers are solitary on long stems, silky-textured, with four petals, each petal long and broad; flower color ranges through yellow, orange and red. Flowering occurs from February to September in the northern hemisphere. The
petals close at night (or in cold, windy weather) and open again the following morning, although they may remain closed in cloudy weather. The fruit is a slender,
dehiscent capsule long, which splits in two, sometimes explosively with an audible snap, to release numerous small wide black or dark brown
seeds. The plant will reseed under ideal conditions, or when winters are cold. Anecdotally, it can be an aggressive reseeder in the home garden context, eventually becoming a
groundcover. It survives mild winters in its native range, dying completely in colder climates.
Habitat Its native habitat includes California and extends to Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora and northwest
Baja California. These variations in features among Eschscholzia species have led to inconsistencies in species descriptions and identifications. This variation, both within and between species, triggered a surge in Eschscholzia species descriptions, reaching 112 taxa in the early part of the last century. Willis Lynn
Jepson played a pivotal role by considering the majority of described taxa as mere environmental variations. In his book
A Flora of California, published in 1922, he consolidated many of the taxa into
Eschscholtzia californica and reduced the total number of taxa within the greater
Eschscholtzia genus from around 120 to 12. Botanical research has held significant implications towards the classification of
Eschscholzia. Despite some unresolved aspects in the phylogenies, it is evident that taxonomic are necessary within the genus, particularly in three areas: supporting two subspecies of
E. californica, endorsing two subspecies of
E. lemmonii, and recognizing two potential new taxa. ==Pollen ==