Home
Advanced Search Map Locator
View Settings
Nurseries Carrying this Plant Add Current Plant To List Edit Current Plant
Show all Photos

About Calscape Nurseries
California Garden Planner Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW) Planting Guide
Butterflies My Plant Lists
Contact Calscape
Tap map to see plants native to location
Order by Popularity Order by Common Name Order by Scientific Name Order by # of Butterflies Hosted
Show nursery cultivars Hide nursery cultivars
Show plants not in nurseries Hide plants not in nurseries
Grid view Text view
Loading....
Bush Poppy
Dendromecon rigida
  
About Bush Poppy (Dendromecon rigida) 34 Nurseries Carry This Plant Bush Poppy (Dendromecon rigida) is an attractive compact shrub native to California and Baja California. It is covered in petite, buttercup-like yellow flowers during the winter-spring blooming season. Bush Poppy is a fast-growing shrub that maintains a rounded form with light pruning. The Bush Poppy?s narrow, grayish-green leaves are evergreen, providing year-round color in the landscape, even when not in bloom.

This plant is robust and easy to grow when planted in the right dry, sunny conditions. It is commonly found on dry, rocky slopes and is known to be a fire-following plant. In the garden, it does best when planted in full sun in very well-draining soil. The Bush Poppy needs little to no supplemental irrigation once it is established, making it an appealing choice for a waterwise garden.
‌Schmidt, M.G, Greenberg, K.L. (2012). Growing California Native Plants (2nd ed.). University of California Press,
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3 - 10 ft tall
2 - 8 ft wide

Form
Form
Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Slight

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Bees, butterflies, many beneficial insects

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 confirmed ) SHOW ALL
Neoterpes edwardsata Image
Neoterpes edwardsataNeoterpes edwardsata

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 0 - 10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Well drained soils, typically on a slope. Tolerant of clay only if given no water after established.. Tolerates Serpentine Soil. Soil PH: 6 - 8

Maintenance
Maintenance
Can handle light trimming after blooming but does not tolerate a heavy pruning. Interestingly though, it is very fire-resistant, and is considered a "fire follower", resprouting from the base after the top growth has been completely burnt down from a wildfire.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: Fire treatment or 2 mos. stratification (Emery and Frey 1971). 3 mos. stratification with a diurnal fluctuation from 46° to 70°F may improve germination. More easily propagated from stem cuttings in winter with intermittent mist and bottom heat.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
4, 5, 6, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10, 11, 12, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Dry slopes and flats in chaparral and openings in mixed evergreen forest.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 4.9" - 74.9", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.78", Coldest Month: 24.3" - 57.3", Hottest Month: 45.6" - 84.4", Humidity: 0.47" - 35.52", Elevation: 7" - 9624"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Tree Poppy


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


Sign in to your Calscape Account X




Once signed in, you'll be able to access any previously saved plant lists or create new ones.

Email Address
Password

Sign In