Winecup

Callirhoe involucrata

Characteristics

Culture

Winecup is a Texas native ground cover perennial that blooms in spring. They form a sprawling evergreen mat that explodes with vivid magenta flowers in March or April. There are also varieties with white flowers. They bloom for weeks, opening in the morning and closing at night. Extend their blooming time by deadheading spent flowers. Winecup plants grow in many types of soil, provided it is well-drained. They like shallow, gravelly areas, even preferring the small cracks between landscape pavers to a richly amended garden bed. In heavier soils, loosen it with decomposed granite or compost. Don’t mulch them heavily with wood mulch. A little is fine as long as the area dries out. A long tap root gives the plant good drought tolerance but makes transplanting of established plants difficult.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Callirhoe involucrata, commonly called Winecup or Purple Poppy Mallow, is a mat-forming, Texas native perennial which most frequently occurs in dryish, rocky soils in prairies, fields and along roadsides. Plants typically form a low foliage mound from 6-9″ tall on procumbent stems which spread along the ground to 3′ wide. Solitary, upward facing, cup-shaped, five-petaled, poppy-like, magenta flowers (to 2.5″ wide) continuously appear on thin stems above the foliage from mid-spring to fall. Stamens form a prominent central column typical of mallow family members, but with distinctive style branches. Leaves are palmately divided into 5-7 finger-like lobes. The closely-related fringed poppy mallow (Callirhoe digitata) is, by contrast, a spindly, erect plant which typically grows 2-3′ tall.

Problems

No serious insect or disease problems. Crown rot may occur in poorly drained soils.

Garden Uses

Good native ground cover. Border fronts, rock gardens, native plant gardens, wild gardens, naturalized areas or meadows. Sprawl over a stone wall. Fits well into both formal garden areas as well as wild/naturalized areas.