Eschscholzia

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Eschscholzia
File:California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) - 22.jpg
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Papaveraceae
Genus: Eschscholzia
Cham.
Species

See text.

Eschscholzia (pronounced /ɛˈʃɒltziə/) 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, producing many tiny seeds.

Two species 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 mildly toxic.

The best-known is the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), the state flower of California; another common in cultivation is E. lobbii, which is often sold as "Eschscholzia caespitosa", even though the two species are quite different.

Species

They prosper in warm, dry climates, but withstand some frost. They grow in poor soils with good water drainage.

External links

fr:Eschscholzia hsb:Mak (Eschscholtzia) it:Eschscholzia lt:Ešolcija nl:Eschscholzia pl:Pozłotka pt:Eschscholzia ru:Эшшольция sv:Sömntutesläktet