| a Californian shrub, Dendromecon rigida, of the poppy family, having leathery evergreen leaves and showy, usually yellow flowers. |
| tree poppy n. An evergreen shrub (Dendromecon rigidum) of southern California and northern Baja California, having minutely toothed, lance-shaped leaves and showy yellow flowers. |
tree poppy
(Dendromecon rigida; the genus name is Greek for "tree poppy"), a bush or small tree of the poppy family (Papaveraceae), native to chaparral areas of southern California and northwestern Mexico. The tree poppy ranges from 0.5 to 3 m (about 2 to 10 feet) in height and displays deep, butter-yellow, four- or six-petaled blooms measuring 4 to 5 cm (1.5 to 2 inches) across, with many stamens and a two-lobed stigma. The plant's narrow, 2.5-10-centimetre, gray-green, waxy leaves are evergreen, and the bark is shreddy and yellow-gray. The variety known as island tree poppy (D. rigida harfordii), from islands off the southern California coast, reaches a height of 6 m. Tree poppies are hardy as ornamentals only in areas with mild winters.
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