Prickly poppy (from RimJournal: art and adobe brick, Mexico, the American Southwest, poetry, fiction and food)

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[Crepe paper-like white petals with bright yellow centers: 16k]

Prickly poppy

(Argemone platyceras)

Common names: thistle poppy, cowboy's fried egg, chicalote.
Perennial, Poppy Family.
Blooms all year, especially spring and summer, throughout the western United States and into Mexico.
24-30 inches (60-75 cm) high, single leaves have deep notches and sharp, spiny lobes.

Grows along roadsides and in pastures. Drought resistant. Prickles cover most of the plant except the petals and the yellow sap is poisonous. Cattle avoid the plant, so the poppies flourish on over-grazed range. Some areas have plants with yellow or rose colored blooms.

Browse color tocs: white to cream | yellow to yellow-orange | pink to red-orange | blue to purple | green, etc.

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