I first met this incredible flower, the largest variety of poppy, from the family
Papaveraceae, just last year ( I am sixty-six ), much to my dismay. The only two
species in the genus Romneya are perennial shrubs, native to northern Mexico and
California. It is reputed to be difficult to grow but, once they establish themselves,
they are hard to remove. I don't see why anyone would want to rid themselves of these
lovely beauties, which have been nicknamed the "fried egg flower"!
According to Wikipedia, Matilijas prefer warm sunny soil with good drainage. Another
interesting tidbit is that, in the wild, they are often called "fire followers" as they often can
be found in burned areas. What a beautiful blossom to give hope after devastation!
The San Francisco Botanical Garden has a wonderful section with these beautiful
flowers as does the Marin Art and Garden Center.
Papaveraceae, just last year ( I am sixty-six ), much to my dismay. The only two
species in the genus Romneya are perennial shrubs, native to northern Mexico and
California. It is reputed to be difficult to grow but, once they establish themselves,
they are hard to remove. I don't see why anyone would want to rid themselves of these
lovely beauties, which have been nicknamed the "fried egg flower"!
According to Wikipedia, Matilijas prefer warm sunny soil with good drainage. Another
interesting tidbit is that, in the wild, they are often called "fire followers" as they often can
be found in burned areas. What a beautiful blossom to give hope after devastation!
The San Francisco Botanical Garden has a wonderful section with these beautiful
flowers as does the Marin Art and Garden Center.
I am participating in Macro Pictures Saturday - check out the site and add your own flowers
to join in the fun!
What a beautiful flower.
ReplyDeleteabsolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully photographed, Carmen! I love the texture and the clarity! Geez, i can almost feel its soft velvety petals. The motion shot of the bees is amazing! Good capture, girl! happy 4th, dear friend! *hugs*
ReplyDeletewhat beautiful flowers.
ReplyDeleteThey are gorgeous flowers. I've never seen them here by us and its the first time I can clearly see their leaves on your photos.
ReplyDeleteAmazing macro shots.
Please link back to Macro Flowers Saturday homepage not to this particular post, so that people can find the meme next week too. Thanks.
Just gorgeous! A beautiful flower!
ReplyDeleteGreat macro shots!
Very nice looking flowers. I wonder if maybe they grow better in burned areas. Some plants grow good in those conditions, and change the soil back to normal conditions.
ReplyDeletethat's a poppy? beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous flowers!
ReplyDeleteCarmen - love your photos
ReplyDeletelooks like you are having fun
Happy 4th
hugs
oh, very beautiful shots of the matilija poppies Carmen, I love them too, and maybe that's true, where they grow, they grow in abundance.
ReplyDeleteAngelgirlpj -
ReplyDeleteThe Matilija poppy is spectacular - especially when it is as tall as you are!
moondustwriter -
Definitely be in touch when you head this way. We will have to meet. I know you said your sister is in Pacifica and there are plenty of places in that area. Is she over by Linda Mar?
LauraX -
I can't wait to show these to my best friend who will be visiting from New Orleans. I'm sure she has never seen a Matilija poppy. She is crazy about daisies but I'm sure she'll really be amazed by these!
Jama -
I am headed to San Francisco's beautiful botanical garden on their free day, the 12th where I first saw these flowers!
Sharkbytes (TM) -
I first saw these flowers last summer with Joanne Olivieri ( Poetic Shutterbug ) when we were over taking pictures at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, one of SF's art museums. I loved how the petals fluttered in the breeze. Then,when we went to the Botanical Garden and saw them almost five feet tall, it was truly amazing!
Ratty -
I guess I haven't been to many burned out areas -thankfully - though we certainly have more than our share every fire season. I remember, many years ago, going to Lake Tahoe, after a major forest fire and it was so overwhelming to see the devastation.
Cecilia Artista -
I'm glad you enjoyed these Matilija poppy photos. I've rarely seen pictures of these posted.
Maja -
I'm so glad you enjoyed these photographs. Here's a link that I thought was very interesting about these flowers!
http://www.alchemy-works.com/romneya_coulteri.html
You are having some good pictures.
ReplyDeleteI do believe beautiful pictures decorate my life.
lovely macros carmen
ReplyDeleteVery nice.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very pretty poppy...so different from the California poppy we're so used to seeing. This one looks quite robust. Enjoy the weekend.
ReplyDeleteYups, absolutely right that beautiful pictures impart your life. That's a pretty cool pictures you did shared on me. Thanks!
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