Eschscholzia

Eschscholzia is a genus of 12 flowering plants in the Papaveraceae (poppy) family. The genus was named after the Baltic German botanist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz (1793-1831).

Many of the plants in this genus are annuals or perennials with deeply cut glabrous or glaucous leaves. These are mostly basal, but a few grow on the stem.

They feature showy four-petaled yellow or orange terminal flowers, growing solitary or in many-flowered cymes. They are funnel-shaped. The two fused sepals fall off as the flower bud opens. The petals are wedge-shaped. There are 12 to numerous stamens.

They develop a cylindrical, dehiscent fruit, giving off many tiny seeds.

Thery are widely cultivated. These flowers have the habit of closing in cloudy weather.

The taproot gives off a colorless or orange milky juice. These plants are toxic.

The best-known is the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), the state flower of California; others include E. caespitosa and E. mexicana.

Species