Platystemon californicus

Benth.

Californian poppy, Creamcups

PapaveraceaeLeaves

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves

Leaves are cooked and used as greens.

Where to Find It

It grows on the fringes of the desert. It grows in open grassy areas. It needs a sunny position. It needs a well-drained soil. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 8-10.

Australia, Britain, Europe, North America, USA,

Countries: Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Austria, Australia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bahamas, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Grenada, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, United States, St Vincent

How to Identify

An annual poppy. It can be erect or spreading. It grows 30 cm high and spreads 10 cm wide. The leaves are arranged in rings. They are narrow and oblong and 8 cm long. The flowers are open and have 6 petals. The stamen are prominent. The flowers can be cream or yellow. The flowers occur singly on short, hairy stems.

How to Grow

Succeeds in a sunny position in most soils. A highly polymorphic species, it is considered by some botanists to be an aggregate species of up to 60 segregates. The flowers have a delicate sweet perfume.

Propagation: Sow seed in situ in spring or early autumn.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Other Uses

None known Special Uses Scented Plants

Wikipedia

Source ↗

An annual plant growing to 0.3 m tall by 0.1 m wide with hermaphrodite flowers. Present in leaf from May to October and flowering June to August. Wind-pollinated. Hardy to UK zone 8. Adapts to light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with mildly acidic to basic pH. Requires full sun and prefers moist conditions.

Notes

There is possibly only one very variable Platystemon species.

References (8)

Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 809
Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1059
Heywood, V.H., Brummitt, R.K., Culham, A., and Seberg, O. 2007, Flowering Plant Families of the World. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. p 241
Moerman, D. F., 2010, Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p 419
Morley, B. & Everard, B., 1970, Wild Flowers of the World. Ebury press. Plate 154
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Trans. Hort. Soc. London ser. 2, 1:405. 1834