Dendromecon harfordii

[David F]

Anyone growing this Bush Poppy from California’s offshore Channel Islands? It is in bloom 365 days a year here in the San Francisco Bay Area, and also has attractive glaucus foliage. This shade of yellow reminds me of Daffodils. It gets big, easily 8’ tall by across with age.

[Chad]

How timely that you should post this!

The plant was under discussion last week amongst a group of cognoscenti: as far as we could ascertain, it hasn't made it into cultivation in The UK.

We are on the look out for seed though.

Chad

[Paul S]

Ib what way does it differ from D. rigida?

[David F]

This island Bush Poppy has a year-round bloom period as opposed to winter/spring only blooms for D. rigida, and it also grows much larger over time. I suspect it is not as dependent upon fire to initiate seedlings as is D. rigida, which occurs abundantly after wildfires all across the Coast Range of mountains as well as the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Transverse range separating Southern California from the San Joaquin Valley. Flowers and foliage are otherwise quite similar, I suspect D. rígida is shorter lived in habitat and cultivation, but definitely takes more heat, drought and winter cold due to its habitat across much of California. D. harfordii is native to the islands, but has locally naturalized in the Santa Monica Mountains as well.

[David F]

If seed matures on my plant, I can mail some, but so far it has not formed any mature seed. Propagation may be difficult, it might require heat/fire treatment to germinate well.

[Paul S]

I think I'd be happy with either. I only recall seeing D. rigida for sale once and I planted it in an inappropriate spot where it languished and died - I think it would do well on my rubble.

[David F]

Paul, it tends to self-sow thickly on gravelly hot sunny slopes after brush fires and only persists where it can remain in full sun. As a first fire renewal species, it tends to die off as it gets shaded out by taller growing plants, but tends to be rather short lived(typically less than 10 years) in habitat. I prefer the longer year-round bloom period of the Island Bush Poppy.