''Argemone ochroleuca'' is a species of prickly poppy, a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

commonly known as pale Mexican prickly poppy or Mexican poppy. It is native to Mexico and is also an introduced weed in many temperate and tropical regions of the world. It can grow up to in height and has a sticky yellow sap.

As an introduced species

It can be found as an introduced species in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, New Zealand, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, the Indian subcontinent, South Africa, and

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

in the southwestern United States. It has become invasive in Australia, Africa, tropical Asia, New Zealand and a number of oceanic islands. Since ''Argemone ochroleuca'' produces a large number of seeds, it can accidentally be introduced into new areas as a seed contaminant. It is often a problem in

agricultural land Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other organism, forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous ...

, but also has the potential to outcompete native species and decrease

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

. It is also toxic to humans and livestock.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5703601 ochroleuca Flora of Mexico