Practical
Plants

Callirhoe leiocarpa

Tall Poppy-Mallow

an annual member of the Callirhoe genus in the family Malvaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Malvaceae
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.9 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

Root - cooked[5][7][9][10][2]. Parsnip-shaped[4].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
Southern N. America.
Habitat
Prairies, plains, woods and mesquite groves[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
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].

Cultivation

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

Prefers a light rich sandy loam and a sunny position[1]. This species is hardy to about -15°c[6]. A polymorphic species[1]. 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. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

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

    ↩

  7. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

    ↩

  8. McGregor. R. L. & Barkley. T. M. Flora of the Great Plains. University Press of Kansas. 1986-00-00 ISBN 070060295x

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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