Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Windpoppy is a genus of annual plant in the family Papaveraceae. It was formerly included in the monotypic genus, Stylomecon heterophylla, but it has been reclassified to the Papaver genus which includes a few other poppies native to California and north western Mexico. It's flowers are distinctly different from California Poppy. The petals of Windpoppy are more crinkly and bright red-orange with dark centers. In the wild it is found in foothill area of the Sierras and Coast Ranges from the Bay area to San Diego. It makes a nice oak understory planting.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

1 - 2 ft Tall

Fragrance

None

Calscape icon
Color

Orange, Red

Flowering season

Spring

Sun

Partial Shade

Water

Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Adaptable.

Sunset Zones

4, 5, 6, 7*, 8*, 9*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Site type

Openings in chaparral, mixed in grasslands, or in the understory of oaks

Plant communities

Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Northern Oak Woodland, Southern Oak Woodland, Valley Grassland

Various Oaks (Quercus spp.), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), Dudleya spp., native grasses and geophytes such as Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 2 likely

Confirmed Likely

Corn Earworm Moth

Helicoverpa zea

Armyworm Moth

Mythimna unipuncta