CALIFORNIA POPPY (Eschscholtzia californica), a per ennial herb of the poppy family (Papaveraceae), abundant in the valleys and foothills west of the Sierra Nevada. It has erect or diffusely spreading stems 1 ft. to 2 ft. long, bearing finely dissected leaves and large pale yellow to deep golden-orange flowers, 4 in. or more across, the petals glowing with a brilliant sheen. This plant, one of the most handsome and best-known representatives of the California flora, is now widely cultivated as an ornamental annual and has become extensively naturalized in India and Australia.