Arctomecon merriamii

White bear poppy, White Bear Poppy, white bear poppy, white bear poppy

Family: Papaveraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

White bear poppy is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in the northeastern Mojave Desert in rocky slopes at elevations of 800 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces white flowers with six petals 25 to 40 millimeters long, creating a striking contrast against its glaucous stems. Growing 20 to 50 centimeters tall with distinctive bluish-green stems, it develops a robust and compact form. Its leaves range from 2.5 to 12 centimeters long, forming a basal rosette with soft, rounded edges. The fruit develops 25 to 40 millimeters long, bearing small seeds approximately 1.5 to 2 millimeters in size.

Habitat: Rocky slopes

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 800-1600 m

Bioregions: ne DMoj

California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.