California poppy

American

noun

a plant, Eschscholtzia californica, of the poppy family, having feathery bluish foliage and showy, orange-yellow flowers: the state flower of California.

California poppy British

noun

Also called: eschscholzia. eschscholtzia. a papaveraceous plant, Eschscholtzia californica, of the Pacific coast of North America, having yellow or orange flowers and finely divided bluish-green leaves

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of California poppy

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Nearby, Yang Bao’s “Hyperspace,” a gold, mirrored pyramid accompanied by gleaming shards, nestled in a former lavender field, shimmers amid thyme, gingko, California poppies and native grasses, accompanied by haunting, and constantly mutating, music.

From Los Angeles Times

It also offers a variety of seeds for black, white, purple, Cleveland and hummingbird sages, as well as apricot mallow, showy penstemon, yarrow, California poppies, caterpillar phacelia and more.

From Los Angeles Times

For every observation of a California poppy or a ground squirrel, there are three western fence lizards.

From Los Angeles Times

Here’s a primer for newbies who complain that Southern California has no seasons: You know it’s spring when our orange California poppies start to bloom and the garden tours begin.

From Los Angeles Times

At Los Padres National Forest along the Central California coast, swaths of California poppies, California buttercups, purple shooting stars and goldfields fill the slopes.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023