Wildflower/Perennial · Sonoran native
Mexican Gold Poppy
Eschscholzia californica subsp. mexicana · Papaveraceae
Also called: Mexican Poppy, Desert Gold Poppy
Mexican Gold Poppy (Eschscholzia californica subsp. mexicana) is a low-water wildflower/perennial native to the Sonoran Desert region well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It grows to 6-16 in H x 6-12 in W in full sun.
Mexican Gold Poppy at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun (flowers close in shade and on cloudy days)
- Mature size
- 6-16 in H x 6-12 in W
- Growth rate
- Fast (annual life cycle)
- Bloom
- Brilliant golden orange to yellow-orange, Spring, typically late February through April, following adequate fall and winter rains
- Cold hardiness
- Cool-season annual; seedlings tolerate light frost to about 25 F; grows in USDA zones 8-11 as a winter annual
- Soil
- Sandy, gravelly, well-drained desert soils; tolerant of poor, rocky, alkaline soils; needs good drainage
- Native range
- Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of Arizona, southeastern California, New Mexico, west Texas and northern Mexico
- Best used as
- Spring wildflower displays and mass color, Naturalized and reseeding wildflower meadows, Seed mixes for desert revegetation, Pollinator gardens
- Wildlife
- Pollen source for native bees and other pollinators in early spring.
- Toxicity
- Generally considered mildly toxic if ingested in quantity (contains alkaloids typical of the poppy family); low risk and not commonly a problem.
How to grow Mexican Gold Poppy in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Sow seed in fall; germination depends on autumn/winter rains. Provide supplemental water during dry winters to sustain germination and bloom; little water needed once established as a brief spring annual.
Fertilizer & nutrients
None needed; thrives in lean unimproved desert soil. Fertilizer promotes foliage at the expense of flowers.
Pruning & care
No pruning; an annual that dies back after setting seed in late spring. Allow plants to dry and drop seed for reseeding the following year; clear spent plants once seed has set.
Notes
A true winter annual best established from fall-sown seed; the iconic golden carpets of Sonoran Desert spring. Bloom abundance varies dramatically year to year with rainfall. Closely related to and sometimes treated as a subspecies of California poppy; the accepted name is Eschscholzia californica subsp. mexicana.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; AMWUA Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert; Tohono Chul / Tucson Botanical Gardens