prickly poppy

noun

1. any tropical American poppy of the genus Argemone, especially A. mexicana Mexican poppy, having prickly pods and leaves and yellow or white, poppylike flowers.

prickly poppy

noun

1. an annual papaveraceous plant, Argemone mexicana, of tropical America, having prickly stems and leaves and large yellow or white flowers

Word History and Origins

Origin of prickly poppy¹

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

The prickly poppy had white petals with orange and red in the middle.

From Literature

Other seeds of this nature are those of wild ginger, celandine, cyclamen, violet, periwinkle, some euphorbias, bellwort, trillium, prickly poppy, dutchman's breeches, squirrel-corn, several species of Corydalis, Seneca snakeroot, and other species of milkworts.

From Project Gutenberg

Even they, dead and inhospitable as they appeared at a little distance, afforded nourishment for cactus and painter's-brush, prickly poppy and hardy vetches.

From Project Gutenberg

I’d already found the skeleton weed, spiderwort, and toadflax right where she’d said, but the prickly poppy was nowhere to be found.

From Literature

One morning she had me traipsing out at the crack of dawn for prickly poppy, toadflax, spiderwort, and skeleton weed.

From Literature