Fields of Matilija Poppy Flowers

One of my favorite flowers is the Matilija poppy.  It is native to southern California and blooms in the spring and summer months. It is a wild flower that grows naturally in coastal and desert regions where there is well-drained sandy or gravely soil. It is a very drought-tolerant shrub that loves sunshine and is loved by pollinators. It is also called a tree poppy because its stems can grow up to 8 feet tall!.  But what is most spectacular about this flower is that it produces large four to eight inch scented flowers with white crepe-like petals and a golden center.  

The Matilija poppy was collected and scientifically catalogued as Romneya coulteri in the 1830s by Dr. Thomas Coulter, an Irish botanist. In the early 1900s, it was cultivated and introduced to gardeners by Theodore Payne, an English horticulturalist who called it the "Queen of California flowers".  In 1890, the Matilija poppy, California poppy, and Mariposa lily were contenders for the state flower of California but the California poppy was selected. 

The name Matilija comes from Chief Matilija, the leader of the Chumash Tribe who lived in the hills and valleys of Ventura County, California during the early 1800s where the Matilija poppy grows abundantly. The Chumash believed that the flower petals were the soul of a maiden who died of a broken heart.  

I found some lovely Matilija poppies blooming in the cottage gardens of some lovely vintage homes.  The Conejo Valley Botanic Garden has a Matilija Poppy Festival every spring to celebrate this beautiful flower and its spectacular blooms.   

Conejo Valley Botanic Garden