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Bransford, W.D. Mrs.

Callirhoe involucrata (Torr. & Gray) Gray

Purple poppy mallow, Purple poppymallow, Winecup

Malvaceae (Mallow Family)

USDA Symbol: CAIN2

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Purple poppy-mallow’s stems sprawl along the ground up to 3 feet, forming a thick mat up to 1 foot tall. Rounded, hairy leaves are deeply lobed and cleft. The chalice-shaped, 1 1/2-2 1/2 in. wide flowers have a white spot at the base of their five, maroon petals. Flowers, which are borne on long, axillary stalks, close in the evening, open in the morning and remain closed after pollination.

An attractive, spreading, drought-tolerant perennial, Winecup is susceptible to a rust during wet seasons in the Great Plains.

 

From the Image Gallery

View herbarium specimen from Harry T. Cliffe Bexar Regional Herbarium.

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Retention: Evergreen , Semi-evergreen
Size Class: 0-1 ft.
Size Notes: 8-12 inches tall spreading to 3 feet.
Leaf Color: Gray-Green

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Pink , Purple
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun

Distribution

USA: AZ , AR , CO , FL , IL , IN , IA , KS , MI , MN , MO , NE , NM , ND , OK , OR , PA , TX , VA , WY
Native Distribution: W. IA to e. WY, s. to LA, TX & n.e. NM
Native Habitat: It is usually found in open woods and on rocky hills in shrublands and thickets.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Soil Description: Well-drained, rocky or sandy soils. Clay, Clay Loam, Medium Loam, Sandy Loam, Sandy, Gravelly, Calcareous, Acid-based.
Conditions Comments: Winecup has masses of flowers in spring that are predominately solid pink to magenta-colored. The trailing form and strongly lobed foliage are especially nice when planted with contrasting shapes and leaf textures of plants such as Wild Foxglove and Four-nerve Daisy. It can also look nice in a hanging basket or trailing over a wall. An attractive, spreading, drought tolerant perennial which must be in well-drained soil.
texas comments: Winecup has masses of flowers in spring that are predominately solid pink to magenta-colored. The trailing form and strongly lobed foliage are especially nice when planted with contrasting shapes and leaf textures of plants such as wild foxglove and four-nerve daisy. It is an attractive, spreading, drought tolerant perennial which must be in well-drained soil. It can also look nice in a hanging basket or trailing over a wall.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Excellent addition as a bedding plant alone or mixed in a grassy area. May be planted in a hanging basket in which trailing stems cascade over the side. Color, Blooms ornamental, Showy, Wildflower meadow, Easily grown, Long-blooming.
Use Wildlife: Nectar-Bees
Use Medicinal: Burned, crushed dried roots inhaled for head colds. Aching limbs exposed to smoke to reduce pain. Roots boiled, then tea drunk for pains.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: Minimal

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Callirhoe involucrata is a larval host and/or nectar source for:
Gray Hairstreak
(Strymon melinus)

Larval Host
Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds , Softwood Cuttings
Description: Most easily grown from seed. Seed in the fall, raking into loose topsoil to ensure good seed/soil contact. Winecups like sun and a well-drained site. Flowers the second year. Take tip cuttings as early as February, before buds form. Propagate also by transplanting tuber in fall or winter.
Seed Collection: Not Available
Seed Treatment: Scarification is necessary for good germination.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Winecups will often go into dormancy in the summer, but new leaves will emerge after good rains. Its growing season can be prolonged by removing old flowers before they set seed. Winecup is susceptible to a rust during wet seasons. Winecups are green all year, except in late summer. Intermixing with a late summer bloomer such as black-eyed Susan will help provide color during the period when they disappear.

Find Seed or Plants

Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Question: I recently bought a house in a new subdivision just south of Houston - as with most new developments, the area is devoid of nature for the most part... I have planted many bird/butterfly/bee friendly plants in the backyard and instead of having a traditional lawn, I would like to create a meadow. I have been looking at the Wildflower Center's selection of native seeds, but I'm not sure where to start. Can you help me choose some native grasses and wildflowers that might do well in the wet clay soil? I am a big fan of insects and birds and want to make my yard into a refuge for them. Thank you for your help!
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: I have several acres of wooded land in Northeast Texas, Southern Lamar County. Both sandy and black land. I have created trails through the woods and would like to plant a native ground cover or grass to keep the trails from being too muddy. The trails are mostly shaded. I want a hardy, low maintence cover. Any suggestions?
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: I purchased some winecup seeds from a wildflower seed company and planted them this past autumn. I live in the northcentral Texas area. This spring, several of the seeds sprouted but they had tiny lavendar flowers instead of the rich magenta colored blooms I see growing all along the roadsides. I have checked the foliage to make sure that they are winecups and it appears to be the exact same as the wild winecup I see on roadsides. Why do mine have tiny flowers?
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: Xeriscaping in clay (Fort Worth) on a slope -- Please offer suggestions and publications. Thanks
click here to view the full question and answer

From the National Suppliers Directory

According to the inventory provided by Associate Suppliers, this plant is available at the following locations:

Wildflower Farm - Coldwater, ON

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Fredericksburg Nature Center - Fredericksburg, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Texas Discovery Gardens - Dallas, TX
Sibley Nature Center - Midland, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
* Available Online from Wildflower Center Store

Bibliography

A Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
A Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (2000) Foster, S. & J. A. Duke
Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest (1991) Miller, G.O.
McMillen's Texas Gardening: Wildflowers (1998) Howard, D.
* Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Shinners & Mahler's Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas (1999) Diggs, G. M.; B. L. Lipscomb; B. O'Kennon; W. F...
Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender
* Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, G.
* Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Additional resources

USDA: Find Callirhoe involucrata in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Callirhoe involucrata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Callirhoe involucrata

Metadata

Record Modified: 2008-05-16
Research By: BJG, ADA

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