Plant: Perennialherb; STEMS purplish, rather closely to sparingly prickly throughout Leaves: prickly mainly on the vein, less so above, essentially smooth between the veins; lower and middle cauline leaves lobed one-half to five-sixths to the midrib, the lobes one to two times as long as wide, the margin angular at the apex, the sinuses and lobes subequal in width; uppermost leaves either not clasping or subclasping Inflorescence: cymose Flowers: buds subspherical to obovate; calyx with few to many perpendicular prickles per sepal, the sepal horn 6-10 mm long, flattened or angular in cross-section when fresh, the apical prickle usually flattened and indurated at its base; petals white; stamens 150 or more Fruit: capsules ovate to elliptic, sparsely to closely prickly; SEEDS numerous, pitted Misc: Dry gravelly soil, foothills, mountain valleys, and high plains; 750-2300 m (2500-7500 ft);; Apr REFERENCES: Ownbey, Gerald B., Jeffrey W. Brasher, and Curtis Clark. 1998 Papaveraceae. J. Ariz. – Nev. Acad. Sci. 30(2): 120.