Callirhoe involucrata

Product Info

Purple Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrata)
Mallow Family

The satiny, vibrantly bright magenta flowers of this mallow can’t help but draw the eye, and with their white centers, they are also perfectly set up to be a bullseye for pollinators. The stamen is loaded with pollen, and is a favorite of bees. This flower acts almost like a short rambling vine and will do nicely growing over a rock wall, around bushy perennials with little bottom growth, like Baptisia, Amsonia, Thermopsis, Joe-Pye, or the taller Milkweeds, or even in a tall pot. While there is a peak bloom time of about 4-6 weeks, plants will continue to put out sporadic blooms well into late summer and early fall. Callirhoe has an extremely long tap root, which makes it very drought tolerant, but also very difficult to transplant after the first year or two, so site it well. Full sun is best for this plant–poor soils with rock and sand are perfectly adequate. Foliage usually dies back at some point, but in milder climates, can be flushed out and vibrant again by January.

Blooms: Magenta, 8-10 weeks, May-Aug
Leaves: 4”, palmate, semi-evergreen, creeping
Height: 6-12” 
Space: 2-3’
Soil: Average-Dry, rocky, clay
Exposure:  Full sun
Fauna: Mostly bees, small insects groundcover for small animals
Seeds: Hard, kidney shaped seeds are tucked neatly together in a ring
Deer Resistance: High
Zone: 4-9
Native Status: Central US, Eastern US
Provenance: Unknown, seed grown