California poppy

American  

noun

1. a plant, Eschscholtzia californica, of the poppy family, having feathery bluish foliage and showy, orange-yellow flowers: the state flower of California.

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California poppy British  

noun

1. Also called: eschscholzia.   eschscholtzia.  a papaveraceous plant, Eschscholtzia californica, of the Pacific coast of North America, having yellow or orange flowers and finely divided bluish-green leaves

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Etymology

Origin of California poppy

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Example Sentences

Times Plants Booth will be giving away hundreds of four-inch plants, plant-inspired stickers and packets of sunflower seeds and California poppy seeds if you sign up for the Plants newsletter.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

In parallel, Werner plans to monitor how key plants, including Gary oak, buckbrush, California poppy, and yarrow, respond to different planting densities on nearly 100 plots.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 18, 2023

In the Bay Area, it was the California poppy.

From New York Times • May 15, 2023

This feels strange and incorrect, because in California, it is California poppy season.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2023

Great beds of orange eschscholtzia, the California poppy, make this court a veritable Field of the Cloth of Gold.

From Palaces and Courts of the Exposition by James, Juliet Helena Lumbard