Eschscholzia parishii Greene
Desert poppy, Parish’s poppy
Desert poppies are widespread in the western Mojave Desert and the Sonoran desert. They are members of the buttercup family.
Plants: Plants are 1¾–12″ (5–30 cm) in height. See also Eschscholzia glyptosperma.
Leaves: At the base of the plant, and also along the stems, narrow, and deep green or gray-green. Leaves are bright green or yellowish green, multiply divided into short, linear leaflets.
Flowers: Yellow, with four petals, bowl-shaped, about 1–2″ (3–6 cm) around, resembling buttercups. Flowers appear from March to April.
Fruits: Ribbed seed pods up to 3″ (7.6 cm) long dry and split, launching tiny round black seeds everywhere.
Habitats: Desert plains, washes, hillsides, creosote bush scrub, below 4000′ (1.2 km).
Online References:
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 5 × 4½″ (13 × 11 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 10 × 10″ (25 × 26 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (15 × 12 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 7 × 6″ (19 × 14 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others |
| Order | Papaverales | A group that includes buttercups and other poisonous plants |
| Family | Papaveraceae | Poppy family |
| Genus | Eschscholzia | Named after Dr. Johann Friedrich Gustav von Eschscholtz (1793-1831), a Latvian or Estonian surgeon, entomologist and botanist who came with the Russian expeditions to the Pacific coast in 1816 and 1824 |
| Species | parishii | After brothers Samuel Bonsall Parish (1838-1928) and William Fletcher Parish (1840-1918), both botanical collectors who lived on a ranch in San Bernardino, California and made extensive exploring trips through the mountains and deserts |
Eschscholzia parishii description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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