Winecup Mallow
Callirhoe involucrata
Family: Malvaceae
This low growing perennial has amazing purple colored flower which appears summer into fall. Grows to about 1-2' high and spreads about 3’ wide. The leaves and stems die back in winter, showing at most a small rosette of green leaves immediately above the root crown. In some places that are warmer in winter this plant may not go dormant.
Plant in full to part sun, provide regular water, -30˚F.
This is a larval host to the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) and the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui). This is a great tortoise food plant. As with all mallows, these plants are very beneficial to bees, especially native bees.
Photo by John Jilty, SEINET
Callirhoe involucrata on iNaturalist
The name Callirrhoe comes from the Ancient Greek words kallos meaning "beautiful" and rhein meaning "to flow". The name translates to "beautiful flow". The species name means with an involucre which is a ring of bracts around a cluster of flowers. There are 9 species of Callirhoe mostly native to the prairies and grasslands of North America.
Open places, especially dry upland prairies; Illinois to southern Minnesota and western Wyoming, south to Arkansas, Texas, and New Mexico.