California poppy

California poppy

noun

Definition of CALIFORNIA POPPY

: any of a genus (Eschscholzia) of herbs of the poppy family; especially : one (E. californica) widely cultivated for its usually yellow or orange flowers

First Known Use of CALIFORNIA POPPY

1874

California poppy

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

California poppy (Eschscholzia californica).—Grant Heilman Photography

Annual garden plant (Eschscholzia californica) in the poppy family, native to the western coast of North America and naturalized in parts of southern Europe, Asia, and Australia. The flowers are usually pale yellow, orange, or cream in the wild, but whites and shades of red and pink have been developed in cultivation. The foliage is gray-green and feathery. The flowers open only in sunlight. They blossom all summer in northern climates and into the winter in areas with mild winters.