Wikimedia Commons
Papaveraceae
Prickly Poppy
Argemone mexicana
guarded beauty.
- Family
- Papaveraceae
- Genus
- Argemone
- Native to
- Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- annual
- Height
- 2-3 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- dry, sandy, rocky, disturbed
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 8-11
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- Prickly poppy is armored from root to flower — every leaf, stem, and even the bud is covered with sharp spines that deter all but the most determined herbivores.
- The orange-yellow latex in its stems is toxic and has been used in traditional medicine across Mexico and India for treating skin diseases and eye conditions.
- Despite its toxicity, argemone oil adulterated into cooking mustard oil caused mass 'epidemic dropsy' poisoning incidents in India, killing thousands.
- It was introduced to the Old World tropics and has become naturalized across Africa, Asia, and Australia, thriving in the same disturbed, dry soils it prefers in the Americas.
- The large, tissue-paper flowers open for only a day or two, but the plant blooms continuously throughout summer and into autumn.
Color meanings
0
self-protection
1
resilience
2
beauty with thorns