# Yellow Horned Poppy (*Glaucium flavum*)

The Yellow Horned Poppy is a bright yellow flower that grows near the coast. Its unique horn-like seed pods make it special and fun to see in nature!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Coastal areas

![Yellow Horned Poppy](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Glaucium_flavum03.jpg&width=800)

Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glaucium_flavum03.jpg)

## Appearance

The Yellow Horned Poppy has striking cup-shaped, bright yellow to orange flowers. Its leaves are a distinctive bluish-green (glaucous) and deeply lobed. What makes it unique are the incredibly long, slender, horn-like seed pods that grow upright.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Ranunculales
- **Family:** Papaveraceae
- **Genus:** Glaucium

## Interesting facts

- Ancient people might have known this poppy, possibly using its oil or other parts for remedies.
- Each of its lengthy seed pods can hold hundreds of tiny seeds, ensuring lots of new plants!
- Its horn-like seed pods can grow longer than your ruler, reaching up to 30 centimeters!
- This hardy plant loves to grow on windy, sandy, or stony beaches where few others can survive.

## Special abilities

- **Salt Survivor:** Yellow Horned Poppy can thrive in salty coastal environments thanks to special adaptations in its cells that cope with salinity.
- **Horned Defender:** Yellow Horned Poppy produces bitter chemicals called alkaloids that help protect it from being eaten by most herbivores.
- **Seed Spreader:** Yellow Horned Poppy has incredibly long, horn-shaped seed pods that split open to scatter seeds far and wide.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-90 cm
- **Flower Size:** 5-9 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Moderate
- **Lifecycle:** Biennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects pollen and nectar.
- **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — Feeds on flower nectar.
- **Pollinates:** [Common Drone Fly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-drone-fly) (*Eristalis tenax*) — Visits flowers for pollen.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Horned](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/horned): Characterized by having one or more hard, permanent, pointed projections on the head.
- [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Don't touch the plants without asking an adult, and always look with your eyes!

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Yellow Horned Poppy?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Yellow Horned Poppy?

30-90 cm

### How big are the flowers on Yellow Horned Poppy?

5-9 cm

### When does Yellow Horned Poppy bloom?

Summer

### Is Yellow Horned Poppy edible?

No

### Is Yellow Horned Poppy toxic?

Moderate

### What is Yellow Horned Poppy's lifecycle?

Biennial

### How is Yellow Horned Poppy pollinated?

Insect

## Where to spot

- [Orient Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/orient-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Yellow Horned Poppy: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-horned-poppy)