Argemone corymbosa


Argemone corymbosa, the Mojave prickly poppy, is a flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae native to the eastern Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States. It especially common around Cima, California and the nearby community of Kelso, California. The plant grows in sandy places and on dry slopes, and is very similar to desert prickly poppy.

Description

It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 20–80 centimeters tall, with distinctive orange latex in the stems. The leaves are 8–15 cm long, with prickly margins. The flowers are 4–8 cm diameter, with four white petals and an orange-colored center.

Taxonomy

Argemone corymbosa was scientifically described and named in 1886 by Edward Lee Greene. It is classified in the genus Argemone within the family Papaveraceae. It has two accepted subspecies.Argemone corymbosa subsp. arenicola
This subspecies was described and named by Gerald Bruce Ownbey in 1958. It grows in northwestern Arizona and southwestern UtahArgemone corymbosa subsp. corymbosa
The autonymic subspecies grows in southeastern California and western Arizona
There are two homotypic synonyms of both Argemone corymbosa and subspecies arenicola.
NameYearRankSynonym of:
Argemone arenicola S.L.Welsh2015speciessubsp. arenicola
Argemone corymbosa var. arenicola Shinners1959varietysubsp. arenicola
Argemone intermedia subsp. corymbosa A.E.Murray1982subspeciesA. corymbosa
Argemone intermedia var. corymbosa Eastw.1896varietyA. corymbosa