purple poppy mallow

Callirhoe involucrata (purple poppy mallow). A member of the Malvaceae family native to the central United States, including Illinois, the purple poppy mallow is a wonderful plant to naturalize in your full-sun garden as a groundcover.

The purple poppy mallow grows to 30 cm (1 ft) in height with a spread of up to 90 cm (3 ft), growing with a sprawling habit on vine-link stems. Leaves possess 5-7 finger-like lobes that are sharply divided that make for an overall palmate shape. Callirhoe involucrata flowers May-June, and sporadically in July-August, producing cup-shaped, 5-petaled magenta flowers up to 6.5 cm (2.5 in) wide. Flowers are produced individually and, as the common name suggests, are poppy-like in appearance. Plants are highly drought resistant thanks to a long tap root; however, this same tap root makes transplanting difficult once plants are well-established. While no serious pests or diseases have been reported with Callirhoe involucrata, if plants are grown in poorly drained soils crown rot can become a problem.