Yellow horned–poppy  (Glauciumflavum) is in flower now.

The flowers appear between June and October and are followed by the ‘horns’ – curling seedpods that can be up to 30cm long. When it is broken, the plant exudes a yellow sap which is poisonous, as is the whole plant. It should not be eaten as it can cause brain damage and death!

It is a specialised shingle plant and can be found on sand dunes. It is never found inland. Its adaptations include a very long tap root and thick, deeply segmented, wavy, bluish-grey hairy leaves, which are coated in a layer of water-retaining wax.  They direct water to the centre of the plant. It is a short lived perennial.

It is also referenced in various poems, including the one from Robert Bridges below:

A poppy grows upon the shore,
Bursts her twin cups in summer late:
Her leaves are glaucus-green and hoar,
Her petals yellow, delicate.

She has no lovers like the red,
That dances with the noble corn:
Her blossoms on the waves are shed,
Where she stands shivering and forlorn.   

Robert Bridges