Explore Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Friday - May 25, 2007
From: Balch Springs, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Reason for small winecup flowers (Callirhoe sp.)
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
I purchased some winecup seeds from a wildflower seed company and planted them this past autumn. I live in the northcentral Texas area. This spring, several of the seeds sprouted but they had tiny lavendar flowers instead of the rich magenta colored blooms I see growing all along the roadsides. I have checked the foliage to make sure that they are winecups and it appears to be the exact same as the wild winecup I see on roadsides. Why do mine have tiny flowers?ANSWER:
If your winecup is an annual species - probably Callirhoe leiocarpa - then what you describe would be strange, indeed. On the other hand, if your winecup is a perennial species, as most Texas species are, and they just sprouted this spring, then it is very likely they simply are not mature enough to make large flowers. There are a couple of winecup species that make lavendar-colored flowers including Plains Poppy-mallow, Callirhoe alcaeoides and White Winecup (which in spite of its common name is typically lavender/white variegated), Callirhoe involucrata var. lineariloba. Finally, it is possible that you have misidentified your plant, and it is another species altogether. We sometimes find surprises when we sow wild seed mixes.
More Wildflowers Questions
Texas natives that attract butterflies but not deer
December 13, 2012 - I'd like to have some plants in my garden that are butterfly attractors, but that whitetail deer won't like. I can find lists of butterfly plants, and lists of deer-resistant plants -- is there a li...
view the full question and answer
Goldenrod recommendations for Buda, TX
January 22, 2011 - I am looking for a Solidago species Goldenrod that is non-invasive and suited to the area around Austin/ Buda, TX. I prefer to use a native, non-hybrid, especially since I am adjacent to a wild area. ...
view the full question and answer
Wildflower seeds that may be planted in late spring
April 21, 2007 - Monday April 09, 2007
Is it too late to plant wildflowers? I know nothing of the planting season of wildflowers however we are doing a residential ranch development and I would love to throw some see...
view the full question and answer
Propagation of Gay Feather
September 22, 2005 - Can I transplant the flower Gay Feather any time or should I wait until the plant dies this winter?
view the full question and answer
Establishing a wildflower meadow in Madison GA
January 21, 2010 - Can a wildflower meadow be established by seeding in a sunny pasture without removing all existing vegetation, just mowing low and slightly loosening soil with the teeth on a front end loader?
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
