Alpine Poppy
Oreomecon pygmaea
- Native to:
- Canada, United States
BigHonkinRat
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Papaveraceae
- Genus:
- Oreomecon
- Species:
- Oreomecon pygmaea
- USDA Symbol:
- PAPY
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb
- Height:
- 15 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- jun,jul,aug
- Bloom Colors:
- yellow
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–90 days
- Germination Time:
- 14–60 days
- Notes:
- Seeds may require cold stratification and light for germination. Germination can be erratic in alpine Papaveraceae.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Dry storage of seeds for 3 months prior to stratification. Seed treatments include 5 month outdoor cold, moist stratification. Seeds that failed to germinate were treated with 5 month cold, 5 month warm and 5 month cold, moist stratification.
Establishment: Seeds are hand collected in late August when porocidal capsules turn brown and seeds are easily shaken out of capsules. Seeds are black at maturity and are kept in paper bags in a well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning. The plant occurs in Waterton National Park, Alberta and Glacier National Park, Montana, inhabiting talus and scree slopes, often where near permanent snow field at high elevations.
Source: npn.rngr.net