Mexican Gold Poppy
Eschscholzia californica mexicana
North Maricopa Mountains, Maricopa Co., Arizona. 27 Jan. 2019.
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ANNUAL HERB: In the Sonoran Desert great shows of this poppy are
dependent on an abundance of winter rains during Nov-Feb. Most years a few
spotty flowers can be found but in drought years nary a one.
LEAVES: Finely dissected leaves appear compound and are glabrous (smooth,
without texture/hairs).
RANGE : Upper and Lower Colorado Sonoran Desert particularly on flats
and gentle bajada slopes. Texas to California and Mexico.
Picacho Peak, Arizona is a well-known location to see great expanses of spring
poppies after wet winters.
FLOWERS : Bright golden, yellow-orange, with five petals, and with numerous stamens.
Occasionally paler yellow or even white blooms can be found. Blooming mostly Feb-Apr. The
green sepals that cover the bloom before opening form a cap over the developing
bud and are shed as a unit when the flower opens.