Taxon Report

Eschscholzia lemmonii Greene ssp. kernensis (Munz) C. Clark

Tejon poppy

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Eschscholzia lemmonii ssp. kernensis, commonly known as Tejon poppy, is a annual herb in the Papaveraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chenopod scrub, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 160 to 1000 meters. Eschscholzia lemmonii ssp. kernensis is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Eschscholzia lemmonii Greene ssp. kernensis (Munz) C. Clark
Common Name:	Tejon poppy
Family:	Papaveraceae
Element Code:	PDPAP0A071
USDA Plants Symbol:	ESLEK
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: (Feb)Mar-May	(Feb)Mar-May
Elevation:	160-1000 (525-3280)
General Habitats:	Chenopod scrub, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G5T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_SBBG; SB_USDA
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	86
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	4
Good (B)	20
Fair (C)	12
Poor (D)	6
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	44

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Kern (KRN), San Luis Obispo (SLO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Arvin (3511827), Bena (3511836), Coal Oil Canyon (3511911), East Elk Hills (3511934), Fellows (3511925), Frazier Mtn. (3411878), Grapevine (3411888), Liebre Twins (3411885), Maricopa (3511914), Oil Center (3511848), Oiler Peak (3511835), Panorama Hills (3511926), Pine Mountain (3511857), Pleito Hills (3411981), Reward (3511936), Rio Bravo Ranch (3511847), Taft (3511924), Tejon Hills (3511817), Tejon Ranch (3511816), Tupman (3511933), West Elk Hills (3511935)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	58	67 %
Mining	54	62%
Non-native plant impacts	2	2%
Grazing	2	2%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	1%

Notes



Possibly threatened by grazing and non-native plants. See Aliso 4:90 (1958) for original description, and Madroño 33(3):224 (1986) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 5 February 2025].