Romneya trichocalyx

Romneya trichocalyx, the bristly Matilija poppy[1] or hairy Matilija poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the poppy family. This poppy is native to San Diego, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties in California, as well as Baja California, Mexico, where it grows in dry canyons in chaparral and coastal sage scrub plant communities.[2] Like its relative Romneya coulteri, it is used as an ornamental plant, kept for its large, showy flowers.

Romneya trichocalyx
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Papaveraceae
Genus: Romneya
Species:
R. trichocalyx
Binomial name
Romneya trichocalyx

It is a shrub 1 to 2.5 metres (3 ft 3 in to 8 ft 2 in) tall, growing from a network of rhizomes. The gray-green leaves are each divided into a few lance-shaped lobes. The inflorescence is a large, solitary flower with six white petals each 4–8 centimetres (1.6–3.1 in) long. At the center of the flower is a cluster of many yellow stamens. The fruit is a bristly capsule 2.5–3.5 centimetres (0.98–1.38 in) long containing many tiny seeds.[3]

It is distinguished from R. coulteri by its hairy sepals and smaller flowers and fruits. In the past the two species were placed in synonymy, but they are currently regarded as distinct by California botanists.

It is named after Irish astronomer John Thomas Romney Robinson.[3]

References
  1. "Romneya trichocalyx". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  2. Reiser, Craig H. (May 1994). "Coast Matilija Poppy [Romneya trichocalyx Eastw.]". Rare Plants of San Diego County. Sierra Club. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  3. "Romneya Matilija Poppy". Jepson eFlora. Retrieved 7 August 2013.


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