40 NEBRASKAland • AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018
Prickly Poppy
Nebraska's Only Prairie Poppy
Story and photos by Gerry Steinauer, Botanist
M
atchless among our state's flora are
prickly poppy's (Argemone polyanthemos)
six large, crinkly, white petals. Also unique:
cut its stems or leaves and they bleed a
sticky, mustard-yellow sap. The latex sap and
petal design are characteristic of the poppy
family (Papaveraceae) to which prickly poppy
belongs. Nebraska's only other native poppy
is bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), which
inhabits our northeastern woodlands.
Native to the western Great Plains, prickly
poppy's range includes the western two-
thirds of Nebraska, where it most frequently
grows in sandy prairies and roadsides. The
biennial's prickly stems hold somewhat
succulent, bluish-green leaves with a whitish,
waxy coating. The showy flowers bloom from
mid-June through mid-August. From these
develop about inch-long, green seed capsules
with stout, yellow prickles.
The tissues of all 32 Argemone species,
native to the Americas and Hawaii, are rich
in alkaloids, some with known antimicrobial,
narcotic, pain-relieving and astringent
properties. Through millennia of trial and
error, Native Americans became aware of the
plant's chemical powers.
Plains tribes made a tea from prickly poppy
seeds or sap that was applied to treat sore
eyes, including pinkeye. The pulverized and
moistened seeds were rubbed into their hair
to kill head lice and used to treat burns, cuts
and sores. The Tepehuan Indians of Mexico
crushed the leaves and stems of the Mexican
prickly poppy (A. mexicana) to use as a fish
stupefying agent.
The Kiowa used prickly poppy prickles
for tattooing, inserting ash from the plant's
burned leaves under
the skin. The Lakota
used the yellow sap to
dye arrows, making
errant ones easier to
find among the prairie
grass. This unique
plant also had many
other uses among
native tribes.
■
LEFT: Set deep within the
prickly poppy's petals are a
ring of lemon-yellow stamens
that surround a maroon,
lobed stigma.
RIGHT: Rooted on a Cherry
County sand dune, prickly
poppies catch the morning sun
while a thunderstorm brews to
the west.
