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| Romneya coulteri |
| Family: Papaveraceae (Poppy) |
| Flowers — color: white, size: 5", type: 6 petals |
Matilija Poppy has the largest flower of any California native plant. Six white petals spread five to eight inches and the spherical yellow center is nearly one inch diameter — fried-egg is a good description. The petals are crinkly and may flutter in the breeeze. Myriad yellow stamens surround and cover a single pistil. Lovely aroma reminds me of roses.
Flower buds form on the main stem and four or more new auxillary stems below the top. Blooming may begin in April and continue through September for different colonies, depending on micro-conditions: water, shade, etc.
Matilija Poppy uses its height to escape predators: any stem shorter that four feet tall be attacked by the local deer. They relish the flower buds and will stretch to reach them, but also enjoy the growing tips on each short stem, which stunts the plant.
Habit:
Matilija Poppy is a tall perennial that may be evergreen or summer deciduous. It survives by root ball and spreads by rhizomes. A mature plant may erect dozens of stems or canes to eight feet tall. The leaves are gray-green and may grow six inches long and four inches wide. They are lance-shaped but deeply lobed, so deeply that the first lobes often appear as separate leaflets. The stems and leaves are smooth, but the leaf stems have short section with 1/8" long spines.
Some people describe Matilija Poppy as aggressive or even invasive, but I don't find this to be a vice. Juveniles spread by rhizomes that are easily uprooted in our loose soil. It produces lovely flowers and thrives on only local rainfall. Gardeners should prune the canes six inches above ground level in the fall to promote fresh growth in the rainy season. Without pruning a cane may produce new leaves for at least one more rainy season, and eventually produce at least four new flowers stems. The Matalija Poppy in my yard were started by my mother over thirty years ago.
This poppy is named for a legendary Chumash chief, and the flower symbolizes his daughter's love for a slain warrior. The Chumash also had medicinal uses for Matilija Poppy, but gardeners may find saponins irritating. Western Santa Barbara is not in the natural range of this poppy, so samples in BMER may be introduced.