Bush poppy is an erect, slender-stemmed perennial shrub to 10' tall often found as a pioneer or colonizing burned areas of chaparral.  It has alternate, lanceolate to lance-oblong, ± coriaceous leaves to 4" long on short petioles.  The showy blooms have four obovate or wedge-shaped bright yellow petals and two sepals that fall off early. There are many stamens and a pistil with two stigmas.  The fruit is a 2-4" linear, arc-shaped capsule with many smooth brown or black seeds.  Bush poppy is a common shrub on dry slopes and stony washes to about 5000' in cismontane southern to central California, blooming from April to July.  These pictures were taken in Tapia Park, which is now part of Malibu Creek State Park in the Santa Monica Mts.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Dendromecon 2) rigida.
Pronunciation: den-dro-MEE-kon RI-ji-da.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.