Argemone munita

This poppy bears its flowers on erect, spiny stems which can exceed a meter in height. The sap is yellow. The blue-green or mint-green, lobed leaves are also very prickly. The white poppy blooms usually have six crinkly petals, each up to 4 centimeters long, and three sepals. The center of the flower is surrounded by a dense ring of up to 250 small yellow or orange stamens bearing the pollen. The flowers are often compared to sunny-side-up eggs, with the dark pistil in the center as a dot of pepper. The fruits are spiny white capsules 3 to 5 centimeters long, each containing many small seeds. The leaves and seeds contain alkaloids which are probably toxic. Chicalote is a common name for several species of prickly poppy, most notably Argemone platyceras and Argemone munita. Has the potential to be a very troublesome weed and exudes a sap which, if ingested, is poisonous to humans and range animals.