The Spanish also named it dormidera , or "to fall asleep," referring to how the petals fold up in the evening or during cloudy weather, as explained in a article by Central Coast Parks .

In the early 19th century, when Prussian explorer Adelbert von Chamisso docked in San Francisco Bay in 1816, he was struck by the hillsides blanketed in a "fiery golden glow," as described in a Facebook post by Nature Conservancy California . He gave the plant its scientific name, Eschscholzia californica , honoring his friend Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, a surgeon and entomologist on their ship.

As the blooms fade, they form long, green seed pods that, when ripe, dry and explode, scattering seeds over 6 feet away, says a YouTube video by "fun facts about the california poppy" .

In 1903, the poppy was officially named California’s state flower, winning by a significant margin thanks to the advocacy of Sarah Plummer Lemmon.

They are hardy, drought-tolerant plants that thrive in poor, sandy soil and under full sun, according to The Spruce .