Andalucia Life Fauna and Flora, Flowers of Andalucia Southern Spain
August 2006, Yellow Horned Poppy - Glaucium flavum
Contrary to the name this is not a poppy at all, although the 60 - 90mm wide deep yellow, delicate silky flowers certainly resemble poppies. Flowering from June to September you may find this plant on pebbly beaches throughout the region although, like this one at Caleta Bay on Gibraltar, they prefer more inaccessible spotshalf way up cliffs. The 'horned' part of the name comes from the flower stems after the flower petals have blown off; they then look just like the horns on snails. Although it looks a delicate plant the yellow horned poppy has adapted itself to a dry, windswept, salty environment with little available moisture.