General Culture:

Easily grown in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Good drainage is essential. Avoid humusy, moisture retentive soils. Although many of the callirhoes (e.g., Callihhoe involucrata – G450 herein) require full sun, this plant will tolerate some light shade. Generally plants will spread in the garden, but will not root at stem nodes. Plants may be grown from seed and may self-seed in the garden in optimum growing conditions. Long tap root gives this plant good drought tolerance but makes transplanting of established plants difficult.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Bush’s poppy mallow is an uncommon herbaceous perennial that is native to approximately 50 scattered locations in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. In Missouri, it is primarily found in rocky open woods, wooded valleys, ravine bottoms and glade borders in five counties in the southeast corner of the state (Steyermark). Plants typically grow 12-18” tall from a thick rootstock. Upward facing cup-shaped five-petaled, magenta flowers bloom in summer (June-August). Rambling flower stems are somewhat more erect than those of the similar C. involucrata. Stamens form a prominent central column typical of mallow family members. Leaves are palmately divided into 5-7 finger-like lobes. Synonymous with and formerly known as C. involucrata var. bushii and C. papaver var. bushii. Specific epithet honors botanist Benjamin Franklin Bush (1858-1937).