Dendromecon

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Dendromecon
Dendromecon rigida
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ranunculales Family: Papaveraceae Genus: Dendromecon Benth.
Species
See text.

Dendromecon, the tree poppy, is a genus of one or two species of shrubs to small trees, native to California and northern Baja California. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, lanceolate to ovate, 3-10 cm long. The flowers are yellow, satiny, and shed after pollination.

Species

Two species of Dendromecon are widely accepted, though some botanists consider them to belong to just one species, only distinct at the lower rank of subspecies:

• Dendromecon harfordii (syn. D. rigida subsp. harfordii) - Channel Island Tree Poppy. A larger plant, occasionally becoming a small tree to 6 m tall; leaves broad, less than three times as long as broad. Endemic to the Channel Islands of California.
• Dendromecon rigida - Bush Poppy. A smaller plant, rarely exceeding 3 m tall; leaves narrow, more than three times as long as broad. Occurring on mainland California (Pacific Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills) and northern Baja California.

[edit] References

• Flora of North America: Dendromecon
• Treatment from Jepson Manual