| Eomecon chionantha | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Papaveraceae |
| Genus: | Eomecon |
| Species: | E. chionantha |
| Binomial name | |
| Eomecon chionantha Hance |
|
Eomecon chionantha, also known as the snow poppy or dawn poppy, is a poppy of woodlands in eastern China, in particular Gansu and Sichuan provinces.
E. chionantha is a perennial developing from rhizomes that often send out stolons to considerable distances. The basal leaves are different from all other poppies, being large (10–15 cm across) and heart-shaped or kidney-shaped, each carried on its own stalk. The flowers are on branching scapes up to 40 cm tall, each branch having a single bract at its base. The flowers are 3–4 cm across, and consist of four white oval petals, with a cluster of bright yellow anthers in the center.
In cultivation it proves quite hardy as long as it is shaded, with a habit of popping up new growth at some distance from the usual planting.
The misspelling E. chionanthum is often seen.