Dendromecon

/ˌdendrəˈmekən/ noun

Definition

A genus of California shrubs with yellow flowers, also known as tree poppies, belonging to the poppy family.

Etymology

From Greek 'dendron' (tree) + 'mekon' (poppy). This botanical genus name literally means 'tree-poppy' and describes these woody poppy plants.

Kelly Says

Dendromecon is an example of how difficult common names can be—it's called a tree poppy but isn't actually a tree, showing why scientists need Latin genus names!

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