Purple poppy-mallow

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Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow leaf

Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow color variation

Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow

Purple poppy-mallow color variation

Purple poppy-mallow color variation

Morphology

Stem

Trailing, several to many, branched, more or less hairy, extending up to 30 inches in all directions from crown.

Leaves

Alternate, simple, stalked, round in outline, 1 to 3 inches long, 1.5 to 3.5 inch wide, deeply palmately divided; segments toothed or incised, linear; upper segments usually narrower than lower; straight hairs above, star-shaped hairs below; stipules persistent, generally ovate, .25 to .75 long, .25 to .5 inch wide.

Inflorescence

Solitary flowers, on stalks to 8 inches long, in leaf axils.

Flower

Calyces 5-lobed, white-veined, long spreading hairy, closely subtended by 3 narrow, leafy bracts; corollas fragrant, 1 to 2.5 inches wide, rose or reddish-purple with white bases, fading purplish; petals 5, .75 to 1.5 inch long; stamens numerous, united into column.

Fruit

Rings of 14-25 wrinkled, hairy, conspicuously beaked, 1-seeded segments; seeds rounded, brown.

Ecology

Habitat

Dry, open, disturbed areas, pastures, prairies, and roadsides, most abundant in sandy soils.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Forage Value

Sheep and deer will graze purple poppy-mallow.

Uses

The Lakota and Dakota burned the dried roots and inhaled the smoke as a treatment for colds. The roots were also boiled and used for a tea to treat intestinal pains.

Additional Notes