Romneya coulteri

Romneya coulteri

Romneya coulteri

Romneya coulteri

Species Name: Romneya coulteri
Common Name: Matilija Poppy

This rare plant is known as the "fried-egg flower" for its huge white and yellow blooms. One of California's most spectacular and best-known flowers. Once established, it can spread over a large area. Can be invasive.

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Plant Family: Papaveraceae

Plant Type: Perennial

Height by Width: 8' H x spreading

Growth Habit: Upright, spreads by rhizomes

Deciduous/Evergreen: Semi-evergreen

Growth Rate: Fast

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Soil Preference: Adaptable

Water Requirements: Drought-tolerant to occasional

Cold Hardy to: 4,000'

Flower Season: May - July

Flower Color: White, yellow center

Endangered?: List 4/Red 1-2-3

Distribution: Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties

Natural Habitat: Dry washes and canyons below 4000' in Coastal Sage Scrub and Chaparral away from immediate coast

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Care and Maintenance

History

• Introduced into cultivation in California by Theodore Payne.
• From California Native Plants, Theodore Payne's 1941 catalog: "The plants throw up many tall stems from the ground clothed with large, deeply cut, silvery gray leaves. Flowers large, often measuring 6 inches in diameter, of crepe-like texture, pure glistening white with deep yellow centers. The flowers appear in late spring and early summer and are produced in great profusion. One of the most showy of the native plants and sometimes termed the 'queen of California flowers.' Prefers a gravelly or sandy well drained soil in a sunny location. Gallon cans, 75c."

Other Names

References

• Bornstein, Carol, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien. California Native Plants for the Garden. Los Olivos, CA: Cachuma Press. 2005.

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