General: Desert Bearpoppy (Arctomecon merriamii), also called White Bearpoppy, is a perennial forb that tends to grow in limestone soils. The silvery-gray, hairy leaves grow in a clump on the ground. The large, white-poppy flowers grow atop long stems.

Desert Bearpoppy is a rare component of desert vegetation communities along washes and on bajadas in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zone.

Because it is rare, Desert Bearpoppy is considered to be a sensitive species.

Family: Poppy (Papaveraceae).

Other Names: White bearpoppy, white bear poppy, white bear-poppy, desert bear-poppy

Plant Form: Low-growing herb with upright flower stalks.

Height: Leaves to a few inches; flower stalks to about 18 inches.

Stems: None per se; flower stalks naked.

Leaves: Basal, generally wedge-shaped with rounded teeth at the end; hairy (hairs to 1/2 inch). Blades to 3 inches.

Flowers: Blooms late spring to early summer. Inflorescence: flowers solitary atop naked stalk. Petals large (to almost 2 inches), white.

Seeds: Fruits: 1 to 1-1/2 inch long capsule, oblong (typical poppy pod). Seeds tiny.

Habitat: Dry, well-drained gravelly and rocky soils on upper bajadas and moderate slopes in the lower mountains.

Elevation: 3,000 to 4,500 ft.

Distribution: California and southern Nevada

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