Named after doctor-naturalist Johann Friedrich Gustav von Eschscholtz who was the surgeon for the Russian expedition team that dropped anchor in San Francisco in 1815 in a bay surrounded by hills covered with the golden flowers.1
These wild flowers were designated the state flower of California in 1903.1 There is no law that specifically protects the poppy, however California Penal Code Section 384a does require written permission from the landowner before picking flowers or digging any plant.1 Landowners may pick them at will on their own property with no worries.1
California Poppy wildflower