SafePlants

Mexican Prickly Poppy (Argemone mexicana)

Considerations for Pets

• All parts of the plant, including the seeds, are mentioned as potentially hazardous.
• The plant possesses prickly pods and leaves with sharp spines, which could cause physical injury.
• The plant produces latex sap, which is known to be poisonous.

Considerations for Children

• All parts of the plant are mentioned as potentially hazardous.
• The plant possesses prickly pods and leaves with sharp spines, which could cause physical injury.
• The plant produces latex sap, which is known to be poisonous.

Common Names

• Scientific Name: Argemone mexicana
• Common Names: Mexican poppy, Mexican prickly poppy, Flowering thistle, Cardo, Cardosanto, Goatweed, Mexican Thistle, Mexican Thorn Poppy, Prickly Pepper, Queen Thistle, Prickly Poppy, Yellow Prickly Poppy
• Other Language Names: Siyal-Kanta (Bengali), Satyanashi, Bharband (Hindi), Shialkanta, Satyanashi (Hindi), Darudi (Gujrati), Balurakkisa, Datturi (Kanarese)

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Family: Papaveraceae (Poppy family)
• Kingdom: Plantae
• Taxonomic Rank: Species
• Synonyms: A. ochroleuca, Argemone leiocarpa

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to Mexico.
• Widely distributed throughout the south-eastern USA (Florida), Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean.
• Naturalized in India and found in disturbed sites, wastelands, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Ecological Role

• Considered an exotic and/or non-native plant in some regions.
• Its abundance can be exacerbated by grazing cattle and other herbivores, as the plant is well-defended both chemically and with spines.

Morphological Characteristics

• Annual plant.
• Grows to 8-18 inches tall.
• Large, showy yellow flowers.
• Silver-green leaves with prominent white veins.
• Prickly pods and leaves.

Quirky Facts

• The plant was called "food of the dead" by the ancient Aztecs and was sacred to their rain-god Tlaloc. It was also known as &quotnishment of the dead&quot.
• The plant became cemented in culture and infamy when Chinese residents in Mexico… (details not specified in the text).

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Mentioned in connection with a Longhorned Beetle and an Elateridae Beetle Larva.

Traditional and Historical Uses

• Has a long history of medicinal uses.
• In Mexican folk medicine, prickly poppy had both external and internal applications.

Further Information

• USF Herbarium Specimen Database
• Dave's Garden
• Instituto Mexicano De Medicinas Tradicionales in Mexico City