What is the scientific name of the California poppy?
Answer
Eschscholzia californica
The scientific name of the California poppy is Eschscholzia californica. It is a flowering plant in the poppy family, Papaveraceae, and is native to the western United States and Mexico. Its flowers are usually bright orange or yellow, though cultivated varieties can also be red, pink, or white.
The genus name honors Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, a Baltic German botanist who took part in Otto von Kotzebue’s scientific expedition aboard the Russian ship Rurik. Adelbert von Chamisso, the expedition’s naturalist, formally described the species. The California poppy became California’s official state flower in 1903.
It is often confused with the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, because both belong to the poppy family. They are different species and genera. California poppies are also notable for closing their petals at night or during cold, windy, or cloudy weather, then reopening in bright conditions.