STATE FLOWER
California's State Flower: The California Poppy
Adopted in 1903, the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) blankets hillsides across the state each spring in shades of gold and orange.
Named by a Prussian Naturalist
The poppy's botanical name comes from Adelbert von Chamisso, a naturalist who anchored in San Francisco Bay in 1816 and found the surrounding hills covered in the golden bloom. Long before that, California's Indigenous peoples valued the plant both as a food source and for oil extracted from it. It's also known by the names flame flower and copa de oro — "cup of gold."
QUICK FACT
California celebrates April 6th as California Poppy Day each year in the flower's honor.
