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California Poppy

Eschscholzia californica

Description:

AKA golden poppy, California sunlight, cup of gold is a species of flowering plant in the Papaveraceae family, native to the United States and Mexico. It is an ornamental plant flowering in summer, with showy cup-shaped flowers in brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow (occasionally pink). It is also used medicinally and in cooking. It became the official state flower of California in 1903. It is a perennial or annual plant growing to 5–60 in (13–152 cm) 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 2 to 6 cm (0.79 to 2.36 in) long and broad; flower color ranges through yellow, orange and red [2] (with some pinks [3]), with flowering from February to September in the northern hemisphere (spring, summer, fall). The petals close at night (or in cold, windy weather) and open again the following morning, although they may remain closed in cloudy weather.[4] The fruit is a slender, dehiscent capsule 3 to 9 cm (1.2 to 3.5 in) long, which splits in two to release numerous small black or dark brown seeds. It survives mild winters in its native range, dying completely in colder climates.

Habitat:

habitat includes California and extends to Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora and northwest Baja California.[4] The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is located in northern Los Angeles County. At the peak of the blooming season, orange flowers seem to cover all 1,745 acres (706 ha) of the reserve. Other prominent locations of California poppy meadows are in Bear Valley (Colusa County) and Point Buchon (San Luis Obispo County).

Notes:

Flowers are Edible & Plant Medicinal for Anxiety or restlessness Sleep disturbances Acute or chronic pain Headache Children experiencing tooth pain or bed-wetting induced by anxiety or nervousness. https://drschwaderer.wordpress.com/2012/...

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1 Comment

maplemoth662
maplemoth662 6 years ago

A very pretty, and a very colorful photo....

Tera2
Spotted by
Tera2

California, USA

Spotted on Aug 17, 2015
Submitted on Mar 24, 2018

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