Cream cups

This plant with a name that conjure confectionery delights in your mind is actually a very small flowers growing in meadows. This particular specimen grew on a hilly meadow right next to the ocean. Most species were yellow but a few were white. The plant does not seem to be common.

  Cream cups in a grassy meadow near Crescent City

So what else can we find out about this plant? Its Latin name is Platystemon californicus and it is the only species within the genus Platystemon.  The plant belongs to the Poppy family (Papaveraceae). The flower has 6 petals with yellow spots.

Cream cups flower

Cream cups are low growing plants but the bright flowers attract attention. There were several other plants growing in that same meadow but more about them is coming in future blog posts.

White Platystemon californicus

Notice that that petals are sometimes angular and sometimes rounded. The spots are present in the majority of species but not all of them  (like the yellow flower in the above photograph does not have them or they are hidden by the center parts.).