[Illustration: Argemone]
Common Names: PRICKLYPOPPY, THISTLEPOPPY, (_CHICALOTE_)
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts. (Argemone platyceras). White.
Blooms all year.
Poppy family. Size: Up to 30 inches in height.
One of the commonest and most noticeable perennials of the Southwest,
the Pricklypoppy ranges from South Dakota and Wyoming to Texas, Arizona,
southern California, and northern Mexico. A coarse, prickly plant with
large flowers and yellowish sap, it is easily recognized.
It is sometimes facetiously called “cowboys’ fried egg.”
Flowers are normally white with large, tissue-paper petals and yellow
centers. In southern Arizona an occasional plant with pale yellow petals
is found; and in Big Bend National Park, Texas, a form with rose-colored
petals and a deep red center is occasionally encountered.
Plants are drought-resistant, unpalatable to livestock, and may be found
in blossom during any month in the year, although much more prolific
during the spring and summer. When abundant on cattle range, they are an
indication of over-grazing. Seeds are reported to contain a narcotic
more potent than opium.