FFF178 - CALIFORNIAN POPPY

Eschscholzia californica (Californian poppy, golden poppy, California sunlight, cup of gold) is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to the United States and Mexico, and the official state flower of California.

It is a perennial or annual growing to 13–152 cm tall, with alternately branching glaucous blue-green foliage. The leaves are alternately divided into round, lobed segments. The flowers are solitary on long stems, silky-textured, with four petals, each petal 2 to 6 cm long and broad; flower colour ranges from yellow to orange, with flowering from February to September. The petals close at night or in cold, windy weather and open again the following morning, although they may remain closed in cloudy weather. The fruit is a slender, dehiscent capsule 3 to 9 cm long, which splits in two to release the numerous small black or dark brown seeds. It survives mild winters in its native range, dying completely in colder climates.

E. californica is drought-tolerant, self-seeding, and easy to grow in gardens. It is best grown as an annual, in full sun and sandy, well-drained, poor soil. Horticulturalists have produced numerous cultivars with a range of colours and blossom and stem forms. These typically do not breed true on reseeding. Seeds are often sold as mixtures. Many cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Because of its beauty and ease of growing, the California poppy was introduced into several regions with similar Mediterranean climates. It is commercially sold and widely naturalised in Australia, and was introduced to South Africa, Chile, and Argentina. It is recognised as a potentially invasive species within the United States, although no indications of ill effects have been reported for this plant where it has been introduced outside of California. The golden poppy has been displaced in large areas of its original habitat, such as Southern California, by more invasive exotic species, such as mustard or annual grasses.

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FFF178

1.	CALLISTEMON	14.	Ingmarie We/Refugium	27.	Frauke | Germany	40.	Dawn
2.	ERYNGIUM	15.	Maribels Garden	28.	Lenas Trädgårdsrum	41.	Smilla Germany
3.	CAMELLIA	16.	Jesh StG	29.	lemapi, italy	42.	Eva
4.	WALLFLOWER	17.	Andrea, Pure Oxy Gen	30.	Synnöve	43.	bij jen, Germany
5.	Abrianna	18.	Tom The Backroads Traveller	31.	Simone, Germany	44.	Passionately Bored
6.	Arabis caucasica	19.	Trini Garden	32.	Gemma Wiseman	45.	Moni
7.	BirgittaB	20.	Romi	33.	veredit	46.	ann nz
8.	Heidrun	21.	Ulla Laiho	34.	Jutta K. Deutschland	47.	petal pics
9.	Maboe	22.	Sara Chapman, Seattle USA	35.	Hof 9	48.	Ela
10.	Gunilla	23.	Sara Chapman #2	36.	Dekotraum - Austria	49.	Lone little flower
11.	Simfonia florilor	24.	Vilt og vakkert	37.	Zauberpalme	50.	Chryssies
12.	Aletta - Nowathome	25.	Anne Seltmann	38.	guild-rez Canada	51.	woollymuses
13.	Katarina - Sweden	26.	Kebo, Italy	39.	April Garden Views and Blooms!

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