Practical
Plants

Callirhoe digitata

Finger Poppy Mallow

a perennial member of the Callirhoe genus in the family Malvaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Malvaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.9 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - cooked[9][5]. A pleasant taste[8][2][4].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
Central and Southern N. America - Illinois and Missouri to Kansas and Texas
Habitat
Dry plains and barrens[7].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow outdoors or in a cold frame. Plants resent root disturbance so the seed is best sown in situ in April[3], though the slugs will have a field day if you do not protect the plants[K]. If seed is in short supply then sow it in pots in a cold frame, putting a few seeds in each pot, and plant the pots out in early summer once the plants have put on at least 15cm of growth. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 6 months at 15°c[3]. Cuttings of young basal shoots in a frame in sand[1][6]. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer. Division[6]. With care since the plant resents root disturbance. We have found that it is best not to disturb this plant and so do not try to divide it, relying instead on taking basal cuttings since these do not disturb the main clump[K].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a light rich sandy loam and a sunny position[1][3]. This species is hardy to about -15c[6]. Plants resent root disturbance and should be planted into their final positions as soon as possible[3]. Slugs are strongly attracted to this plant and can destroy even established plants by eating out all the young shoots in spring[K].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  8. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  9. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

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