Romneya trichocalyx
From southwestern California, this semi-shrubby perennial in the poppy family bears the largest white flowers with a yellow center and a bristly calyx, rises from rhizomes, is drought-tolerant, and native to dry canyons and chaparral.
Common Names
Bristly Matilija Poppy, Matilija Poppy, Hairy Matilija Poppy
Summary
Native to southern California and Baja California, this Matilija poppy is a shrub with a rhizomatous root system and an upright, spiky growth habit. It bears very large, solitary flowers at stem tips, with six white petals surrounding a yellow center, and a dense covering of bristle-like hairs on the calyx that give it a hairy appearance.
In cultivation, it requires full sun and very well-drained soil, tolerates sandy or gravelly substrates, and is very drought-tolerant with minimal irrigation once established. It is native to dry washes and canyons in chaparral and coastal sage scrub and propagates by rhizomes in winter (rhizome disturbance often fatal) or by seed, though seed propagation is difficult; maintenance includes cutting to about 6 inches in late summer/fall and mulching dried stems; hardy to 4,000 feet and pH tolerance from 5.0 to 8.0. Widely used as an ornamental plant in landscapes.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
3 ft 3 in to 7 ft
Spread
20 ft
Hardiness Zones
Zones 6-10
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Soil Type
Well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil.
Soil pH
5.0-8.0
Bloom Color
White
Bloom Time
Spring and Summer
Foliage Color
Gray-green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Moderate
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Likely attracts butterflies
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Eastw.
- Publication
- Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. , ser. 3, 1: 133 (1898)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Ranunculales
- Family
- Papaveraceae
- Subfamily
- Papaveroideae
- Tribe
- Papavereae
- Genus
- Romneya