Species: Eschscholzia californica ssp. californica

Plantae - Anthophyta - Dicotyledoneae - Papaverales - Papaveraceae - Eschscholzia - Eschscholzia californica (California poppy) represents a highly variable complex; over 90 taxa have been described (Hickman 1993). Currently, two subspecies are recognized by many authors, including Hickman (1993) and Kartesz (1999): subsp. californica (apparently the one used in gardens and cultivation and now spread throughout much of the continental United States) and subsp. mexicana (restricted to California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas) (Kartesz 1999, USDA-NRCS 1999, Welsh et al. 1993, Gleason and Cronquist 1963, Nelson and Williams 1992).