''Argemone pinnatisecta'', known as the Sacramento prickly poppy, is an

angiosperm Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

and part of the

poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, ''Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug opi ...

family. A very thorny looking perennial that grows up to a meter and a half in height. The thorny stems are covered in bluish green serrated leaves with spiky tips. The flower buds are also covered in these sharp thin thorns until they open, between May and August, revealing six white petals up to four centimeters long and nine centimeters wide, and a bright yellow anther with various stamens jetting out. The fruits of plant contain black seeds about two millimeters in diameter.

Distribution

''Argemone pinnatisecta'' only occurs in

Otero County, New Mexico Otero County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,797. Its county seat is Alamogordo. Its southern boundary is the Texas state line. It is named for Miguel Antonio Otero (born 1859), ...

. It has only been found among ten canyons in this region of the

Sacramento Mountains The Sacramento Mountains are a mountain range in the south-central part of the U.S. state of New Mexico, lying just east of Alamogordo in Otero County (small portions of the range lie in Lincoln County and Chaves County). From north to south, ...

.Rare Plant Technical Council. 1999. New Mexico Rare Plants. Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Rare Plants Home Page. http://nmrareplants.unm.edu (Latest update: 16 January 2014).

Habitat and ecology

''Argemone pinnatisecta'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

that only grows on the slopes and bottoms of canyons, and alongside the roads near the bottom of these canyons. This species of plant enjoys newly disturbed soils that are very loose containing much gravel at land heights between 4,200 feet and 7,100 feet above sea-level. In January the temperatures in the valleys are around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and higher elevations roughly around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and during the summer months the temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Precipitation can range from 10 to 20 inches of rainfall on average annually.

Morphology, flowers and fruit

Individuals of this species are thorny herbaceous plant with many stems covered in serrated leaves and thorny buds and flowers. The plant has sinuses that are square and broad, its veins and margins are armored in thin spiky thorns. ''Argemone pinnatisecta'' has two to three sepals, six white petals, various

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s and bright yellow

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s. This plant flowers between May and August after which it fruits, each fruit is covered in prickles encapsulating approximately 2mm diameter black seeds.

Conservation status

''Argemone pinnatisecta'' in the 1980s numbered about 1300 individuals, however it has declined in recent years for unknown reasons. This plant appears to be a secondary successional species that has been found in old un-maintained fields and alongside roadsides of areas where a past disturbance has occurred, this makes the plants appearance very episodic and less common. It has made the federal U.S. Endangered Species List.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16974561 pinnatisecta Flora of New Mexico