Click on the image thumbnail to the right to enlarge -›››

Dendromecon harfordii - Papaveraceae - 'Island Tree Poppy.' -Like much of the California flora that specializes in sprouting after wildfires, the Island Tree Poppy is very showy.. and very difficult to propagate. Complex germination factors that allow seeds to stay dormant in the soil for decades, withstand intense heat, and then sprout mean that sprouting many of these seeds is a fascinating puzzle for the grower. All of this is just a roundabout way to say that I will have a very few of these for sale, on eBay only. This is rarely seen in cultivation.

As rare as this species is in cultivation, it is even more rarely seen in the wild, being native to a small area on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands in California's Channel Islands. The best description for this bush would be a shrub California poppy, with the same bright golden-yellow flowers as the state flower, held aloft on a shrub. The cool blue-green leaves are a lovely contrast to the sunny flowers.

This species grows 6'-8' tall in the open, up to 15' tall in leggy full shade conditions, and prefers well-drained soils. It requires very little water once established, and can do equally well on blazing hot hillsides and in cool fog belt. The hotter the climate, the more shade it will tolerate. This species is frost hardy to brief drops to the mid 20º's. Take care when handling the roots, as the poppy family is notoriously intolerant of root disturbance.