| Papaver californicum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Papaveraceae |
| Genus: | Papaver |
| Species: | P. californicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Papaver californicum A.Gray |
|
Papaver californicum is a species of poppy known by the common names fire poppy and western poppy. It is endemic to California, where it is found in the coastal counties south of the San Francisco Bay Area. It grows in chaparral, woodlands, and other local habitat, often in places that have recently burned. This annual herb grows a hairy to hairless stem which may exceed half a meter in height. The flower atop the mostly naked stem usually has four petals one or two centimeters long that are orange in color with green bases (petals of the similar wind poppy (Stylomecon heterophylla) have purple bases)[1].