Papaver californicum

Fire poppy

Family: Papaveraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Fire poppy is a California native perennial found in coastal western and southwestern California in burns, disturbed areas, and open woodland at elevations below 1,200 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces distinctive brick-red flowers with green-spotted bases, each petal 10 to 20 millimeters long. Growing 30 to 60 centimeters tall with a variable hairiness ranging from glabrous to shaggy-hairy, the plant has an upright and somewhat delicate form. Its leaves span 3 to 9 centimeters with a variable texture, complementing the plant's striking floral display. The fruit is narrowly obovate, measuring 1 to 1.6 centimeters long and containing many small, net-ridged seeds.

Habitat: Burns, disturbed areas, open woodland

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 1200 m

Bioregions: CW, SW.

California counties: Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, San Diego, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Marin, Tulare, Monterey, Kern, Butte, Santa Clara, Napa

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