Purple Poppymallow
Callirhoe involucrata
- Plant Type
- Forb/herb (Semi-evergreen)
- Landscape Layer
- Ground Cover
- Sun
- ☀️ Full Sun, ⛅ Part Sun, ☁️ Shade
- Moisture
- 🏜️ Dry, 💧 Regular
- Soil
- Loam, Sand, Silt, Rocky / Acidic, Calcareous
- Bloom
- April, May
- Sociability
- S2 – Small groups
Pollinator Value
Ecology & Conservation
- Proximity Score
- 4
- Native Status
- ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ❌ ON
- Closest Direction
- W
- CEC Eco-Regions
- 9 – Great Plains, 9.3 – West Central Semi-Arid Prairies, 9.3.4 – Nebraska Sand Hills
- Rarity Notes
- Globally secure (G5). Not native to Ontario or Quebec per VASCAN and NatureServe. Not listed under SARA. Native range is restricted to the central Great Plains of the United States.
- Migration
- Disjunct
- Ecological Context
- A Great Plains prairie forb of open, well-drained sites. Typically found on sandy or rocky soils in grasslands, open woods, and shrubland thickets from western Iowa to eastern Wyoming and south to Texas and New Mexico. Strongly adapted to drought and disturbance, with a deep taproot and trailing stoloniferous habit. Far disjunct from the Outaouais region, occurring natively only in the central United States.
S4 habitat; S29 range; S11 characteristics; S7 roadside sandy soil
Permaculture & Companion Planting
- Roles
- Insectary Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Insectary Plant: S72 Hemenway (tables: 7-1, pp. 112); S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
- Notes
- Trailing ground cover habit complements upright perennials in dry prairie guilds. Deep taproot accesses subsoil moisture without competing with shallow-rooted neighbours. Functions as a living mulch in well-drained sites, suppressing bare soil while attracting beneficial insects. Best in full sun on sandy or rocky soils; not suited to heavy clay or wet conditions.
S29 ground cover, deep-rooting; S4 design context; S72 insectary role
Medicinal Properties ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
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ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
Click here for more info →- Category
- Analgesic, Cold Remedy
S28 Moerman categories: Analgesic (2 records), Cold Remedy (1 record)
- Notes
- Used by the Dakota people: decoction of root taken for internal pains, smoke of dried root used to bathe aching body parts, and root smoke inhaled for head colds. Kiowa used the flowers for decorative/aesthetic purposes.
Edibility & Foraging ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
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ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
Click here for more info →❌ Not Edible
- Foraging Notes
- Root is edible cooked, described as sweet and starchy with a flavour like sweet potato. Leaves are edible cooked with a mucilaginous texture useful for thickening soups. Historically used as a forage food but not a common culinary species.
Seed Source
- NANPS
- NANPS