home/ plants/ purple-poppy-mallow

// SPECIES PROFILE · PERENNIAL · NATIVE

Purple Poppy Mallow

Callirhoe involucrata

Also called winecup — this low-spreading native trails magenta-purple chalice-shaped flowers across the ground from late spring through summer. Deep taproot makes it almost impossible to kill once established and ideal for rocky, dry, hot sites where most perennials fail.

// QUICK FACTS
Family
Malvaceae
Group
perennial
Native range
Central US incl. OK prairies
USDA hardiness
Zones 4–8
Mature size
6–12 in tall, 3 ft wide
Sun
Full sun
Water
Dry · well-drained
Wildlife value
Native bee nectar; long-tongued bumblebees
Ecological role
wine-cup blooms · sprawling groundcover · drought-hardy
Purple Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrata)
Callirhoe involucrata. Photo via Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons.

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Also called winecup — this low-spreading native trails magenta-purple chalice-shaped flowers across the ground from late spring through summer. Deep taproot makes it almost impossible to kill once established and ideal for rocky, dry, hot sites where most perennials fail.

Why it's on this list: wine-cup blooms · sprawling groundcover · drought-hardy. Part of Rooted Revival's NE Oklahoma plant catalog — natives, ecologically positive non-invasive cultivars, and food crops worth growing in the Tulsa region.

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a dry mixed-grass prairie planting, purple poppy mallow pairs naturally with: new jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides), black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium).

Combine purple poppy mallow with the warm-season grasses listed above for a self-sustaining matrix.

Photo Reference

Callirhoe involucrata — habit
// Callirhoe involucrata — habit
Photo: wildreturn (iNaturalist, CC0)

← All species