Plants annual or perennial. Stems 4-16 dm, densely to sparingly prickly. Leaf-blades: surfaces copiously prickly on veins and intervein surfaces to sparingly prickly on main veins only; basal lobed ca. 1/2 distance to midrib, lobe apices usually distinctly rounded, marginal teeth usually less than 1 mm; distal usually definitely clasping. Inflorescences: buds oblong to ellipsoid to obovoid, body 12-22 × 10-16 mm, prickly; sepal horns terete, flattened or angular in cross-section, (4-) 6-8 (-10) mm, unarmed to densely prickly. Flowers 5-10 (-13) cm broad, not closely subtended by foliaceous bracts; petals white; stamens 150-250; filaments pale-yellow; pistil 3-5-carpellate. Capsules ovoid, ellipsoid, or lanceoloid, 35-55 × 9-15 (-18) mm (including stigma and excluding prickles), prickly, longest prickles to 10 mm, widely spaced, or shorter, more numerous, and interspersed with still shorter prickles, surface then partially obscured. Seeds 1.8-2.6 mm.

Distribution

w North America

Discussion

Subspecies 4 (4 in the flora).

The Kawaiisu used Argemone munita medicinally to treat burns (D. E. Moerman 1986, no varieties specified).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Argemone munita subsp. argentea, Argemone munita subsp. munita, Argemone munita subsp. robusta, Argemone munita subsp. rotundata

Key

1	Prickles 0–30 per cm² on main stem below capsule; leaf surfaces unarmed or sparingly prickly on veins and intervein areas.	> 2
1	Prickles 100–500 per cm² on main stem below capsule; leaf surfaces mostly closely prickly on veins and intervein areas.	> 3
2	Prickles 0–10 per cm²; abaxial leaf surface sparingly prickly on main veins, adaxial surface usually unarmed.	Argemone munita subsp. robusta
2	Prickles 10–30 per cm²; both leaf surfaces sparingly to moderately prickly on veins and often on intervein areas.	Argemone munita subsp. munita
3	Longest prickles of stem 4–6 mm; stems usually purplish; bud prickles sometimes branched.	Argemone munita subsp. rotundata
3	Longest prickles of stem 7–10 mm; stems greenish white; bud prickles simple.	Argemone munita subsp. argentea