California Indians cherished the poppy as both a source of food and for oil extracted from the plant. Its botanical name, Eschscholzia californica, was given by Adelbert Von Chamisso, a naturalist and member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, who dropped anchor in San Francisco in 1816 in a bay surrounded by hills of the golden flowers. Also sometimes known as the flame flower, la amapola, and copa de oro (cup of gold), the poppy grows wild throughout California. It became the state flower in 1903. Every year April 6 is California Poppy Day, and Governor Wilson proclaimed May 13-18, 1996, Poppy Week.
CALIFORNIA’S WILDFLOWER SUPER BLOOM CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE
A WORLD 2 CELEBRATE 