Romneya coulteri

Last updated

Romneya coulteri
Paul de Longpre00.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Papaveraceae
Genus: Romneya
Species:
R. coulteri
Binomial name
Romneya coulteri

Romneya coulteri, the Coulter's Matilija poppy [1] or California tree poppy, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae. Native to southern California, USA, and Baja California, Mexico, it grows in dry canyons in chaparral and coastal sage scrub plant communities, sometimes in areas recently burned. [2] It is a popular ornamental plant, kept for its large, showy flowers.

Contents

The specific epithet coulteri commemorates Thomas Coulter, an Irish botanist and explorer. [3]

This herbaceous perennial [4] may exceed 2 m (7 ft) in height, its stem growing from a network of rhizomes. The gray-green, waxy-textured leaves are each divided into a few lance-shaped lobes, the blades growing up to 20 centimeters (7.8 in) long. The inflorescence is a large, solitary flower with six crinkly white petals each up to 10 cm (4 in) long. At the center of the flower is a cluster of many yellow stamens. The fruit is a bristly capsule, 3–4 cm (1–2 in) long, containing many tiny seeds.

This plant often grows aggressively once planted. It spreads clonally by underground rhizomes and can appear several feet away from the original plant. [5]

This plant bears the largest flowers of any species native to California, rivaled only by Hibiscus lasiocarpos . [6] It was nominated for the honor of California state flower in 1890, but the California poppy won the title in a landslide. [7]

In cultivation in the UK, Romneya coulteri and the cultivar ‘White Cloud’ [8] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. [4] [9]

Chemical composition

Protopine is the major alkaloid of this plant, followed by coulteropine and romneine. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eschscholzia californica</i> Species of flowering plant and state flower of California

Eschscholzia californica, the California poppy, golden poppy, California sunlight or cup of gold, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to the United States and Mexico. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant flowering in summer, with showy cup-shaped flowers in brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow. It is also used as food or a garnish. It became the official state flower of California in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coulter pine</span> Pine tree found in North America

Coulter pine, or big-cone pine, is a native of the coastal mountains of Southern California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico. Isolated groves are found as far north as Clearlake, California on the flanks of Mt. Konocti and Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. It is named after Thomas Coulter, an Irish botanist and physician. The Coulter pine produces the heaviest cone of any pine tree, up to 5 kg (11 lb) and among conifers is exceeded only by the cones of Araucaria bidwillii.

<i>Romneya</i> Genus of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Romneya is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the poppy family (Papaveraceae). There are two species in genus Romneya, which was named for Irish astronomer John Thomas Romney Robinson. They are known commonly as Matilija poppies or tree poppies and are native to California and northern Mexico.

<i>Impatiens walleriana</i> Species of flowering plant

Impatiens walleriana, also known as busy Lizzie, balsam, sultana, or simply impatiens, is a species of the genus Impatiens, native to eastern Africa from Kenya to Mozambique. The Latin specific epithet walleriana honours a British missionary, Horace Waller (1833–1896).

<i>Nigella damascena</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae

Nigella damascena, love-in-a-mist, or devil in the bush, is an annual garden flowering plant, belonging to the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is native to southern Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia, where it is found on neglected, damp patches of land.

<i>Hyacinthus orientalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Hyacinthus orientalis, the common hyacinth, garden hyacinth or Dutch hyacinth, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to southwestern Asia, southern and central Turkey, northwestern Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century. It is widely cultivated everywhere in the temperate world for its strongly fragrant flowers which appear exceptionally early in the season, and frequently forced to flower at Christmas time.

<i>Salvia spathacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Salvia spathacea, the California hummingbird sage or pitcher sage, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to southern and central California growing from sea level to 610 m (2,001 ft). This fruity scented sage blooms in March to May with typically dark rose-lilac colored flowers. It is cultivated in gardens for its attractive flowering spikes and pleasant scent.

<i>Sanguinaria</i> Genus of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Sanguinaria canadensis, bloodroot, is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America. It is the only species in the genus Sanguinaria, included in the poppy family Papaveraceae, and is most closely related to Eomecon of eastern Asia.

<i>Papaver nudicaule</i> Species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Papaver nudicaule, the Iceland poppy, is a boreal flowering plant. Native to subpolar regions of Asia and North America, and the mountains of Central Asia as well as temperate China, Iceland poppies are hardy but short-lived perennials, often grown as biennials. They yield large, papery, bowl-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers supported by hairy, 1 foot (30 cm) curved stems among feathery blue-green foliage 1-6 inches long. They were first described by botanists in 1759. The wild species blooms in white or yellow, and is hardy from USDA Zones 3a-10b.

<i>Geranium maculatum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae

Geranium maculatum, the wild geranium, spotted geranium, or wood geranium, is a perennial plant native to woodland in eastern North America, from southern Manitoba and southwestern Quebec south to Alabama and Georgia and west to Oklahoma and South Dakota.

<i>Macleaya</i> Genus of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Macleaya, or plume poppy, is a genus of two or three species of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae, native to Japan and China. They are large rhizomatous herbaceous perennials with palmately lobed, frilly leaves of olive green or grey colour, 25 cm (10 in) long, and tall stems with airy plumes of petal-less, tubular, off-white or cream flowers.

<i>Macleaya cordata</i> Species of plant

Macleaya cordata, the five-seeded plume-poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae, which is used ornamentally. It is native to China and Japan. It is a large herbaceous perennial growing to 2.5 m (8 ft) tall by 1 m (3 ft) or more wide, with olive green leaves and airy panicles of buff-white flowers in summer.

<i>Oenothera lindheimeri</i> Species of flowering plant

Oenothera lindheimeri, commonly known as Lindheimer's beeblossom, white gaura, pink gaura, Lindheimer's clockweed, and Indian feather, is a species of Oenothera. Several of its common names derive from the genus Gaura, in which this species was formerly placed.

<i>Romneya trichocalyx</i> Species of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Romneya trichocalyx, the bristly Matilija poppy or hairy Matilija poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the poppy family. This poppy is native to San Diego, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties in California, as well as Baja California, Mexico, where it grows in dry canyons in chaparral and coastal sage scrub plant communities. Like its relative Romneya coulteri, it is used as an ornamental plant, kept for its large, showy flowers.

<i>Rodgersia podophylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Rodgersia podophylla is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family native to Japan and Korea. Growing to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall and broad, it is a herbaceous perennial with handsome spiky leaves, and occasional creamy-white flower panicles in June and July. It is extensively grown for ornamental use in gardens where it prefers damp shady positions on neutral to acid soils. Though hardy to −20 °C (−4 °F) it enjoys a sheltered location. It is chosen primarily for its clumps of large 5- or 7-toothed palmate leaves, which open bronze, turning green in summer and bronze-red in autumn. It can spread by underground rhizomes, eventually covering a large area.

<i>Iris pallida</i> Species of flowering plant

Iris pallida, the Dalmatian iris or sweet iris, is a hardy flowering perennial plant of the genus Iris, family Iridaceae. It is native to the Dalmatian coast (Croatia) but widely naturalised elsewhere. It is a member of the subgenus Iris, meaning that it is a bearded iris, and grows from a rhizome.

<i>Hakonechloa</i> Genus of grasses

Hakonechloa is a genus of bunchgrass in the tribe Molinieae of the grass family, Poaceae, native to eastern Asia.

<i>Ipheion uniflorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipheion uniflorum is a species of flowering plant, related to the onions, so is placed in the allium subfamily (Allioideae) of the Amaryllidaceae. It is known by the common name springstar, or spring starflower. Along with all the species of the genus Ipheion, some sources place it in the genus Tristagma, but research published in 2010 suggested that this is not correct. It is native to Argentina and Uruguay, but is widely cultivated as an ornamental and reportedly naturalized in Great Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

<i>Meconopsis grandis</i> Species of plant

Meconopsis grandis, the Himalayan blue poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae, native to China (Yunnan), Bhutan, North East India and Nepal.

<i>Spiranthes odorata</i> Species of orchid

Spiranthes odorata, marsh lady's tresses or common lady's tresses, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, native to the southeastern United States, from Texas eastwards and northwards to Delaware. It grows in moist, partially shaded environments with acidic or neutral soil.

References

  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Romneya coulteri". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  2. California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
  3. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN   9781845337315.
  4. 1 2 "RHS Plantfinder - Romneya coulteri " . Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  5. "Wildflowers, NPS, SAMO NRA - Romneya coulteri detail page". www.smmflowers.org. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  6. Flora of North America
  7. Clark, C. Genus Eschscholzia: History
  8. "RHS Plantfinder - Romneya coulteri 'White Cloud'" . Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  9. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 88. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  10. Stermitz, F.R.; Chen, L.; White, J.I. (1966). "Alkaloids of the papaveraceae—II". Tetrahedron. 22 (3): 1095–1102. doi:10.1016/0040-4020(66)80085-6. ISSN   0040-4020.