The California Poppy (Eschscholzia Californica) is our state flower, but you knew that. But did you know that it was named by a German, for an Estonian doctor, sailing on a Russian ship, exploring San Francisco Bay?

German botantist and poet Adelbert von Chamisso hopped off the Russian exploration ship Ryurik in 1816 to find the hills of San Francisco gleaming with golden poppies. He collected specimens, named the flower after his friend, Estonian ship's doctor Johann Escholtz and then took those specimens back to Russia. Click here to watch a video of the story told by our own Ken Lavin.