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California poppy

American

noun

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

California poppy British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of California poppy

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The California poppy is temperamental; it requires certain conditions to bloom,” Lake Elsinore Mayor Steve Manos said recently.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2024

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

This was money enough to buy seeds of ageratum, zinnia, dwarf nasturtium, California poppy and verbena besides some others.

From The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming. by Shaw, Ellen Eddy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023