Taxon Report

Dendromecon harfordii Kell. var. harfordii

north island bush-poppy

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Dendromecon harfordii var. harfordii, commonly known as north island bush-poppy, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Papaveraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, and Closed-cone coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 15 to 420 meters. Dendromecon harfordii var. harfordii is ranked 3.2, Plants About Which We Need More Information, A Review List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Dendromecon harfordii Kell. var. harfordii
Common Name:	north island bush-poppy
Family:	Papaveraceae
Element Code:	PDPAP08020
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Dendromecon rigida Benth. ssp. harfordii (Kell.) Raven

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Mar-Nov	Mar-Nov
Elevation:	15-420 (50-1380)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	3.2
Global Rank:	G3T3Q
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_SBBG
CRPR Changes:	changed from 4.2 to 3.2 on 2013-02-01

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Diego (SDG), Santa Barbara (SBA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Otay Mountain (3211657), Santa Cruz Island A (3311987), Santa Cruz Island B (3311986), Santa Cruz Island C (3311985), Santa Cruz Island D (3311984), Santa Rosa Island North (3312081), Santa Rosa Island South (3312071)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Previously on List 4.2. Taxonomic distinctiveness from D. harfordii is uncertain; needs further study. Threatened by feral herbivores; increasing on SCZ Isl. after reduction of feral sheep population. A synonym of D. harfordii in TJM (1993) and TJM 2. USFWS uses the name D. rigida ssp. harfordii.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

CRPR List Change 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 5 December 2025].