''Hunnemannia'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 ...

s in the poppy

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Papaveraceae, containing the single

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

''Hunnemannia fumariifolia'' (tulip poppy or Mexican tulip poppy)

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to the highlands of Mexico. It is typically found at elevations of in the Chihuahuan Desert and south into central Mexico, where it favors rocky habitats, occurring along roadsides as well. It is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

whose erect stems are somewhat woody at the base, and may reach in height. The leaves resemble those of the closely related ''

Eschscholzia ''Eschscholzia'' is a genus of 12 annual or perennial plants in the Papaveraceae ( poppy) family. The genus was named after the Baltic German/ Imperial Russian botanist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz (1793–1831). All species are native to ...

'', being finely divided into many gray-green linear lobes. The flowers are solitary yellow cups formed from four overlapping petals, 5–7 cm across, vaguely resembling the unrelated

tulip Tulips are spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes in the ''Tulipa'' genus. Their flowers are usually large, showy, and brightly coloured, generally red, orange, pink, yellow, or white. They often have a different colour ...

; the two sepals underneath typically fall away as the flower opens. The numerous

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s are short, with orange

anther The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s. The long thin fruits are also reminiscent of ''Eschscholzia''. The genus is named for English botanist and collector John Hunnemann (1760-1839). The Latin ''fumariifolia'' literally means "with leaves like ''

Fumaria ''Fumaria'' (fumitory or fumewort, from Latin ', "smoke of the earth") is a genus of about 60 species of annual flowering plants in the family Papaveraceae. The genus is native to Europe, Africa and Asia, most diverse in the Mediterranean re ...

''" (fumitory). It is widely cultivated, usually as an annual from seed. In colder climates it requires the shelter of a south-facing wall, in full sun. The

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

'Sunlite' has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

References

* Christopher Grey-Wilson, ''Poppies'' (Portland: Timber Press, 2000) pp. 67–68 Papaveroideae Monotypic Papaveraceae genera Flora of Mexico Annual plants Garden plants {{Papaveraceae-stub