Wine Cups Poppy Mallow

One look at Callirhoe involucrata in bloom and you’ll instantly understand how it got its common name: Wine Cup Poppy Mallow. Callirhoe’s large (up to 2” across), brilliant magenta flowers are held upright – like brilliant cups of wine – over its rich, dark green foliage.

Callirhoe is native to the central United States, with a range that runs from North Dakota south to Arkansas, Texas, and Arizona. Its native habitat is dry meadows and prairies and it combines well with other prairie natives including Liatris, Echinacea, Schizachyrium, Amsonia, and Solidago.

These fast-growing plants form a low growing mat about 6-12” tall, and between 3-4’ wide. Place them at the front of a perennial bed, or even let them spill over a garden wall where they’ll provide a vibrant show of color all summer long. Callirhoe does best in full sun and well-drained soils. Once established, they’re drought tolerant, deer resistant, and wonderful pollinator plants, as you can see from the photo to the left. They will grow in clay soils as long as they are well-drained (e.g.: on a slope or berm), but will not tolerate heavy wet soils.

Note: Callirhoe involucrata will self-seed. If you’d prefer to control its spread, just pinch off the dead flowers before they set seed!