Healing Gardens

Family Name: Poppy

Family Name: Papaveraceae

Latin Name: Eschscholtzia californica

Common Names: Golden Poppy, Night Cap, Californian Poppy

Related Species: Meconella oregana(white meconella), Glaucium flavum (horned poppy), Stylomecon heterophylla(wind poppy), Papaver somniferum (opium poppy, bread seed poppy)

Botanical Description:

Habit: Herb – Annual or Perennial

Leaves: Mostly basal, much divided and parsley like with finely divided segments, stalked grayish green.

Flowers: Up to 4 inches across, color ranges from yellow to bright orange, 4 saucer shaped petals with many stamen, solitary on long stalks, opens in light, closes at night.

Fruit: Thin linear ribbed capsule, 3-4 inches long opens elastically from base, seeds numerous.

Underground Parts: taproot

Ecology:

Habitat: Grassy open areas. Prefers a poor sandy soil and succeeds in a hot dry position. Likes disturbed sites to self sow. Does well in maritime climates.

Range: Western N. America - Washington to California and Nevada.

Medicine:

Part Used: Whole plant when flowering

Medicinal Actions: Anodyne; Antispasmodic; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Galactofuge; Odontalgic*; Mild Narcotic; Nervine; Hypnotic; Sedative and Analgesic**

Indications: Colic pains; gall-bladder colic pain; toothaches; sores; ulcers; unresponsive lovers; thin dull hair; nervous tension; anxiety; insomnia; incontinence (especially in children); bedwetting; leaky lactating breasts.(*,**)

Body System Associations: Nervous System, First Aid, Skin, Hair Care, Maternal Care (*,**)

Other: An extraction from the root of the plant is said to have the power to suppress lactation in females.** Indigenious peoples would use an oil based tonic cooked with California Poppy plants which then can be applied to hair for thickness and shine.*

Cautions: This plant is in a family that contains many poisonous plants so some caution is advised when using it.** The California poppy is the state flower of California and is protected by a state law which provides stiff fines for people caught picking or mutilating it. Best advice is to grow your own or harvest in Oregon.

Propagation:

Technique: Seed, sow in a sunny border outdoors and only just cover the seed. The seeds should be sown where the plants are to stand, as they don't transplant well.The plants like a sunny exposure and do well on hillsides and dry, rocky places. In the garden, the seedlings should be thinned so that the plants will stand 6 to 8 inches apart.

Timing: Mid spring or late summer to early autumn. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 3 weeks. Colder temperatures might want to provide protection for roots in winter if sown late.

Personal Experience: If the dead flowers are removed before they set seed the plant will continue flowering for a longer period. Plants often self-sow if the soil is disturbed by some means such as hoeing.

Harvest: The outer leaves may be picked and dried at any time. The flowers may be removed and seed capsules may be picked when unripe and dried with the leaves. In autumn the plants should be cut off at the ground and dried before they begin to wilt from the cold.

Cautions: This plant is in a family that contains many poisonous plants so some caution is advised when using it.** The California poppy is the state flower of California and is protected by a state law which provides stiff fines for people caught picking or mutilating it. Best advice is to grow your own or harvest in Oregon.

References Cited:

1. Mackinnon, Andy, and Jim Pojar. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Vancouver, British Columbia: Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing, 1994.