Taxon Report

Eschscholzia minutiflora Wats. ssp. twisselmannii C. Clark & Faull

Red Rock poppy

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Eschscholzia minutiflora ssp. twisselmannii, commonly known as Red Rock poppy, is a annual herb in the Papaveraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Mojavean desert scrub, growing at elevations from 680 to 1230 meters. Eschscholzia minutiflora ssp. twisselmannii is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Eschscholzia minutiflora Wats. ssp. twisselmannii C. Clark & Faull
Common Name:	Red Rock poppy
Family:	Papaveraceae
Element Code:	PDPAP0A093
USDA Plants Symbol:	ESMIT
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Mar-May	Mar-May
Elevation:	680-1230 (2230-4035)
General Habitats:	Mojavean desert scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G5T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_USDA
CRPR Changes:	removed from 1B.2 on 2013-02-01

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	27
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	4
Good (B)	12
Fair (C)	6
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	4

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Kern (KRN), San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Cantil (3511738), Edwards (3411788), El Paso Peaks (3511746), Garlock (3511747), Johannesburg (3511736), Klinker Mtn. (3511745), Saltdale NW (3511748)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	10
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	20	74 %
ORV activity	19	70%
Mining	12	44%
Non-native plant impacts	4	14%
Other	4	14%
Grazing	3	11%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	2	7%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	2	7%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	3%
Erosion/runoff	1	3%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	3%

Notes



Known only from the Rand and El Paso mountains. Threatened by vehicles. A synonym of E. minutiflora in TJM (1993) and TJM 2. See Madroño 38(2):73-79 (1991) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

CRPR List Deletion on 2013-02-01

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 17 November 2025].