California Poppy

California State Flower

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California poppy

California poppy; also called "copa de oro" (cup of gold).  Photo by Luke Ravitch/Flickr (Noncommercial Use Permitted with Attribution/Share Alike).

Official State Flower of California

The California poppy (Eschscholzia Californica) was designated the state flower of California in 1903. All State Flowers

Also known as the flame flower, la amapola, and copa de oro (cup of gold), the California poppy grows wild throughout the state. Native Americans in California valued the poppy as a food source and for the oil extracted from the plant.

Every year, April 6 is California Poppy Day and May 13th - 18th is Poppy Week. Gold is a theme in California symbols; the state colors are blue and gold, the state nickname is "The Golden State," and gold is the official state mineral.

California

Images

California poppies photo © Andy Williams / CritterZone: Animal - Wildlife - Nature Stock Photography (all rights reserved; used by permission).

California poppies

Videos

Wildflower: California Poppies. Lancaster, CA, April 17, 2010