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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

California poppy

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

The common title, "California poppy," though it has been widely used, is open to the objection that it belongs more properly to another flower, Papaver Californicum.

From The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits by Mary Elizabeth Parsons

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