Callirhoe involucrata
Wine Cups
DESCRIPTION
Wine CupsCallirhoe involucrata
An outstanding and very attractive native groundcover for spring and summer. A valuable plant for hot south or west-facing beds. Looks lovely draped over stone walls. Requires full sun and good drainage. Will reseed and spread slowly if you let it. Sweet nectar attracts butterflies. In southern states combine with Chocolate Flower and Sun Drops.
BENEFITS
- Great native groundcover, vibrant color
- Nectar source for a wide variety of butterflies
- Larval host plant for the Gray Hairstreak
- Especially valuable to native bees
NATIVE INFO
Native Range
Purple poppy mallow usually occurs in dryish, rocky soils in prairies, fields and along roadsides, mostly in the U.S. mid section from Michigan to Arizona.
Map Credit: The Biota of North America
Map Key: Green (native), Teal (native, adventive), Blue (present), Yellow (present & rare), Red (extinct)
Interesting Facts
Each flower closes in the evening and will remain permanently shut after pollination.
GROWING TIPS
Easily grown in dry to moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Long tap root gives plant good drought tolerance but makes transplanting of established plants difficult. Prefers full sun and mesic to dry conditions. This plant often grows in poor soil that contains sand, gravel, or clay. In rich cultivated soil, it will become longer than it normally does in the wild.