Argemone munita

Chicalote

Family: Papaveraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Chicalote is a California native perennial herb found in northwestern California, central Sierra Nevada, southern Sierra Nevada, central and southwestern California, Great Basin, and desert regions at elevations of 70 to 3,000 meters in dry, open areas. Flowering in August, this plant produces white flowers with delicate, large petals 25 to 50 millimeters long. Growing 60 to 150 centimeters tall with upright stems, it develops a robust and branching structure. Its leaves are distinctively lobed, with lower leaves cut approximately halfway to the midrib, creating an intricate, textured appearance. The plant's striking white flowers and deeply divided leaves make it a notable species in its native habitats.

Habitat: Dry, open areas

Bloom period: Aug

Elevation: 70-3000 m

Bioregions: NW (exc NCo), c SNH, s SN, CW, SW, GB, D

California counties: Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, Kern, Mono, Ventura, Tuolumne, Orange, Inyo, Tulare, Imperial, Tehama, Alpine, Monterey, Colusa, Santa Barbara, Lassen, San Benito, Lake, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, Stanislaus, Shasta, Sierra, Trinity, Glenn, Santa Cruz

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