White Prickly Poppy

Member of Poppy Family

Blooms: March - October

This plant is so beautiful, it grows about 5 ft. tall and in large colonies. It is self-seeding and quickly covers roadsides and heavily grazed pastures. It's foliage is very prickly and cattle and other livestock will not eat it. It is loved by bees and other insects for it's abundant supply of pollen. Most parts of this plant are poisonous, although Native Americans had numerous uses for it medicinally.

They boiled it's seeds and made a tea that was used for a purgative. It was also given for colic and it's juices rubbed on forehead to relieve headaches. Each round seed pod has hundred of tiny seeds inside, as the wind blows, they scatter and multiply very rapidly. In gardens they are best sown in the fall in sandy, gravely soils.

" A sower went out to sow his seed: and he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

And some fell among the thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

And others fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold."

Luke 8:5-8