''Argemone polyanthemos'', the crested pricklypoppy, also known as bluestem prickly poppy, pricklypoppy, white prickly poppy, annual pricklypoppy, or as thistle poppy is an annual plant with yellow sap and showy white flowers in the

poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, ''Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug o ...

family (

Papaveraceae The Papaveraceae are an economically important family of about 42 genera and approximately 775 known species of flowering plants in the order Ranunculales, informally known as the poppy family. The family is cosmopolitan, occurring in tempera ...

).Sonoran Desert Wildflowers, Richard Spellenberg, 2nd ed., 2012,

Distribution

It can be found in areas with dry soil from Texas northward to North Dakota and as far west as Washington State. It has spread or been introduced to areas adjacent to its natural range, which was primarily east of the Rocky Mountains in the shortgrass and mixed grass prairies.

Morphology

One of the distinguishing characteristics is the absence of prickles on upper leaf surfaces, though as with all species in the genus it has many prickles on stems and leaf margins. Plants are variable in height, but often grow to one meter, with exceptional individuals reaching 1.2 meters with deeply lobed 20 cm leaves. The leaves and stems are pale blue green. The 7-10 cm flowers bloom from late spring into summer. Each flower has 4-6 very thin translucent white petals that flutter in the wind and a dense center cluster of yellow stamens. In late summer the plant has sparsely prickly seed capsules with small black seeds. Broken or nicked stems produce thick orange-yellow sap. It has a large taproot for accessing water in freely draining soils. All parts of the plant are poisonous. Because of its prickly defenses, and acrid taste from its poisons, grazing animals tend to avoid it, so it increases in numbers compared to other plants in grazed areas.

Usage

''Argemone polyanthemos'' is sometimes planted in gardens as a ornamental plant for its long succession of showy blooms. It grows well in sandy or gravelly soil of somewhat poor quality with little to no supplemental watering. It dislikes being transplanted and seed is placed outside by growers on the soil surface before the last frost date.

References

polyanthemos Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Flora of Colorado Flora of Illinois Flora of Indiana Flora of Iowa Flora of Kansas Flora of Montana Flora of New Mexico Flora of North Dakota Flora of Oklahoma Flora of South Dakota Flora of Texas Flora of Utah Flora of Washington (state) Flora of Wyoming {{Ranunculales-stub