Eschscholzia caespitosa
A showy, low mound-forming poppy with feathery bluish-green foliage and fragrant orange-to-yellow blooms in spring to early summer, native to western North America and quick to self-seed.
Common Names
Tufted Poppy, Foothill Poppy, California Poppy, Collarless Poppy, Tufted Eschscholzia
Summary
Tufted poppy is native to western North America, from Oregon to Baja California, and occurs in coastal sage scrub, sandy meadows, and stream banks. It is an annual herb forming a low tuft of finely dissected grey-green leaves with slender erect stems bearing fragrant four-petaled yellow to orange flowers. The plant is a fire follower and often prolific after fires; after flowering, a seed capsule forms that explosively releases seeds.
In cultivation, it prefers full sun and dry, well-drained soils, tolerating chalk, loam, and sand with neutral pH. It is heat- and drought-tolerant, generally pest- and disease-free, and can be propagated by seed sown in situ in succession. It self-sows readily and is well suited for drifts, rock gardens, coastal gardens, or wildflower meadows, as well as borders, cottage gardens, gravel gardens, Mediterranean climate plantings, and patio containers.
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
2-24 inches
Spread
4-24 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 8-10
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Soil Type
Well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil
Soil pH
Tolerates all pH levels
Bloom Color
Yellow to Orange
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Glaucous
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Annual
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Benth.
- Publication
- Trans. Hort. Soc. London , ser. 2, 1: 408 (1834 publ. 1835)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Ranunculales
- Family
- Papaveraceae
- Subfamily
- Papaveroideae
- Tribe
- Eschscholtzieae
- Genus
- Eschscholzia
Synonyms
Eschscholzia austinae Eschscholzia bakeri Eschscholzia biternata Eschscholzia californica var. tenuifolia Eschscholzia caruifolia Eschscholzia caruifolia var. cyathifera Eschscholzia cruciata Eschscholzia dolichocarpa Eschscholzia douglasii var. tenuifolia Eschscholzia dumetorum Eschscholzia elmeri Eschscholzia flaccida Eschscholzia formosa Eschscholzia formosa var. urocalyx Eschscholzia incisa Eschscholzia rostellata Eschscholzia tenuifolia Eschscholzia tenuissima Eschscholzia caespitosa var. caespitosa Eschscholzia caespitosa subsp. caespitosa Eschscholzia pseudalcicornis