Foothill poppy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Foothill poppy |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eschscholzia
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| Species: |
caespitosa
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The Eschscholzia caespitosa, often called the foothill poppy, is a beautiful wild poppy. You might also hear it called the tufted poppy or collarless California poppy. This plant grows naturally in western North America. You can find it from Oregon, all the way through California, and down into Baja California. It loves to live in a special plant community called chaparral.
Discovering the Foothill Poppy
The foothill poppy is an annual herb. This means it grows from a seed, flowers, produces new seeds, and then dies all within one year. It looks quite a lot like its famous cousin, the California poppy.
What Does it Look Like?
This poppy grows in patches of green leaves. Each leaf has several smaller parts called leaflets. From these leaves, thin, straight stems grow upwards. These stems can reach about 30 centimetres (11+5⁄6 in) (or about 12 inches) tall.
Its Bright Flowers and Seeds
The flowers of the foothill poppy are a lovely sight! They have petals that can be orange or yellow. Each petal is about 1 to 2+1⁄2 centimetres (1⁄3 to 1 in) (or about 0.4 to 1 inch) long. After the flower blooms, it forms a fruit that looks like a long tube. This tube, called a cylindrical capsule, is about 4 to 8 centimetres (1+1⁄2 to 3+1⁄6 in) (or about 1.5 to 3 inches) long. Inside this capsule are tiny, dark seeds with a netted pattern.
