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 Flowers Sue Smith |  Leaves Sue Smith |  Plants Sue Smith | | | |
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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Annual or perennial Similar Species: Eschscholzia californica ssp. mexicana
General Desc:
Low spreading to erect plant with several smooth stems and fern-like leaves that are grayish-blue-green. Showy, yellow to orange flowers are often solitary with long stalks. Each of the 4 silky flower petals usually has a deep orange spot at its base.
Identification notes: Stem just below the flower petals has a pink collar-like rim. Leaves finely divided (fern-like), without hairs. Yellow to orange flowers with 2 fused sepals and 4 wedge-shaped petals; stems have 2 to many flowers.
Height:
To about 2 feet
Habitat Description: Commonly found in open areas like grassy slopes, arid plains, inland valleys, desert fringes and around the margins of disturbed areas. Primarily seen as a cultivated plant in Yavapai County.
Plant Communities:
Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: Below 6500 feet
Color:
Yellow to orange
Shape:
Regular not in clusters
Tubular:
N
Flowering Period:
Feb - Oct
Description:
Flowers are upright, 3 inches wide, cup-shaped and often have a darker orange center. Orange is the most common color. A useful identifying feature is the prominent, spreading, pink collar-like rim (torus) that separates the petals from the stem.
Leaf Color:
Grayish-blue-green
Leaf Type:
Simple
Leaf Shape:
Pinnatifid
Leaf Margin:
Dissected
Leaf Attachment:
Basal and alternate
Leaves Clasp:
N
Hairs:
No
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Leaves are fern-like, to 2-1/2 inches long and divided into many segments. There are few stem leaves and the mostly basal leaves form a dense radiating cluster (rosette) at the ground level. Each leaf has 3 thin, rounded thread-like lobes.
Fruit Color: Green turning brown
Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: Fruit is slender, cylindrical and elongated, to 3-1/2 inches long with 10 veins on its surface. It splits lengthwise in 2 from the base releasing ripe seeds explosively by ejecting them up to 6 feet from the parent plant often with a loud "pop".
Seed Notes: The seed is less than 1/16 inch, brown to black, globe-shaped to egg-shaped with a honeycomb pattern on its surface. The number of seeds range from a few to greater than 100 per fruit.
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