California State Flower
California 'Golden' Poppy (common name) Eschscholtzia californica (scientific name) Overview California Indians cherished this ubiquitous, vibrantly yellow-orange poppy as both a source of food and for oil, which they extracted from the plant. The California poppy can grow 5–60 cm tall, and the blue-green leaves are divided into round, lobed segments. The four-petaled flowers are solitary on long stems, with each petal about 2–6 cm long and broad. Flowering occurs from February to September. Its scientific name, Eschsholtzia californica, was given by Adelbert Von Chamisso, a naturalist and member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, who dropped anchor in San Francisco in 1816 in a bay surrounded by hills of the golden flowers. Also sometimes known as the flame flower, La Amapola, and Copa de Oro ("cup of gold"), the poppy grows wild throughout California. It became the state flower in 1903. April 6 is designated as California Poppy Day, and since 1996, May 13–18 has been Poppy Week in the state. Close-up STATUS Official PHYSICAL DETAILS Duration: Annual, perennial Plant: Fern-like leaves with single flowers on a long stalk Mature Height: 12–18 in (30.5–45.7 cm) Flowering: Feb.–Sep. Flowers: 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm) across, with four wide fan-shaped petals, many stamens Flower Color: Orange Leaves: 3/4–4 in (3–10 cm) long divided into narrow segments on long stalks Fruit/Seed Color: Brown HABITAT Location: open areas, on grassy or sandy slopes Range: Southern California to southern Washington, east to Texas TRIVIA California poppies require full sun and good drainage to flourish, so are particularly well suited to rock gardens and dry, sandy soils.
	Click to enlarge an image California Poppies Field of California Poppies California Poppy Close-up California Poppy Seeds
	CLASSIFICATION
	Kingdom:	Plantae
	Division:	Magnoliophyta
	Class:	Magoliopsida
	Order:	Ranunculales
	Family:	Papaveraceae
	Genus:	Eschscholzia
	Species:	E. californica
	Author: World Trade Press