wind poppy

The wind poppy consists of radially symmetrical flowers supported by long, thin, and wiry stems with lobed leaves. The flower has bright orange petals and a purple-black central disk. The central disk is a deep red which distally fades at the petal bases, while the staminal filaments are dark red to black. It is a relatively short lived annual herb with a blooming period that can occur from February to late May, with the peak occurring in March and April. The wind poppy is a polyploid, with reports on chromosome number for the species concluding it as being octoploid. It is also self compatible and autonomously self-pollinating. Papaver heterophyllum can be compared to Papaver californicum because of the close species relationship delineated by similar vegetative and reproductive traits. It was stated by Ernst in 1962 that the “seedling stages are identical, and even the adult plants are so similar that determinations cannot be made without the gynoecia.” The species are more easily distinguishable through leaf, flower, and fruit morphology. Kadereit & Baldwin describe the gynoecium of Papaver heterophyllum to have a flat ovary roof with capsules that split apart through pores under it. The seeds of Papaver heterophyllum have a mean length of 803 μm, with a coarser seed surface when compared to the smaller seeds of P. californicum. …

Papaver heterophyllum is native to the coastal mountains of central California down to Baja where it grows on the sides of slopes below altitudes of 4000 feet (1200 m). They are often found in chaparral, grasslands and oak woodlands. They prefer an environment with low moisture and well-drained soil in part shade and are uncommon even within their range. They seem to survive a relatively broad range of environmental conditions, at least compared to P. californicum.