Prickly Poppies are perennial flowering plants with bright yellow flowers. As the plant is widely found in Mexico, it is also known as Mexican prickly poppy or by its binomial name, Argemone Mexicana. The plant is also popular in India and grown mainly for its medicinal properties. However, it is also used during Holi for the Holika Dahan ritual, when people worship with these flowers, also called Kateli ka Phool. If you want to grow Argemone Mexicana in your home garden, know about its care and maintenance tips in this article.
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Argemone Mexicana: Quick facts
| Plant name | Argemone Mexicana |
| Common names | Mexican Prickly Poppy, Yellow Prickly Poppy, Thornapple, flowering thistle, Mexican thistle, yellow thistle, Cardo/ Cardosanto |
| Family | Papaveraceae |
| Found in | Mexico |
| Flower colour | Golden, yellow, cream, or white flowers |
| Foliage | Greyish or green-coloured leaves |
| Flower blooming season | Spring, Summer |
| Toxicity | High |
| Benefits | Used for its medicinal properties |
Argemone Mexicana: Plant description
- The plant belongs to the hardy pioneer species, which is drought-tolerant and grows in poor soil.
- It has bright yellow latex that has healing properties. The leaves have an alternate arrangement, with spine-tipped lobes and whitish wax.
- Argemone Mexicana plants grow up to a height of 24 to 36 inches.
- It produces a green-coloured fruit that splits open after drying.
- The plant stem is branched and upright, with a smooth or slightly prickly surface.
Known about: all about Papaver Rhoeas
Argemone Mexicana: Uses
Medicine uses
- In native America, the plant was primarily used in external applications for treating burns and sores.
- In Mexico, it was used for external and internal remedies. The plant was widely used in curing chest pains, asthma and for bad breath, fading liver and fevers.
- The seed oil is also used as a purgative, while the root juice is used to detox blood.
- In Mali, Argemone Mexicana tea is known to help in the treatment of malaria.
- The yellow sap of the Mexican prickly poppy and the plant has been used as a possible cure for jaundice in traditional medicine in India.
Other uses
- Argemone Mexicana seed oil is used in producing Biodiesel with crystalline manganese carbonate.
- The plant leaves and stems are crushed and used as a fish-stupefying agent.
How to grow Argemone Mexicana?
Mexican Prickly Poppy can be grown easily in home gardens. Sow its seeds at least 3mm below the soil surface in Spring. It takes around two weeks for the plant to germinate. When growing outside, place them exposed to maximum sunlight. Plant them at 75 to 90 cm distance for larger species and about 25 cm for smaller varieties.
Argemone Mexicana: Care
- Sunlight: The plant requires full sunlight. Keep it in direct sunlight for a minimum of six hours a day.
- Watering: The plant is resistant to drought. However, make sure to regularly water the plant once in a week.
- Soil: The soil must be very dry and have good drainage. Argemone Mexicana grows in poor, limy or sandy soils.
- Temperature: The plant must be grown at a temperature of 13 to 16 degrees Celsius
FAQs
Is Argemone Mexicana poisonous?
Argemone Mexicana causes epidemic dropsy, a condition resulting from using edible oils adulterated with Argemone Mexicana oil. It is toxic for grazing animals.
Is Mexican poppy edible?
Mexican poppy plant, the common name of Argemone Mexicana, cannot be readily consumed owing to its bitter yellow sap.
