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Tuesday - June 12, 2012

From: Etowah, NC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identification of flower that looks like Callirhoe in NC
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Have a flower similar to callirhoe, but the blossum is fuchia, not purple and the foliage is light sage in color and fuzzy. It is very invasive. What is it? If you have an email address, I can send a picture.

ANSWER:

Interesting! I always thought of Callirhoe species as being sort of fuschia- or magenta-colored rather than purple, but then colors are in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.

The one plant that most resembles your description is a Papaver species that is a non-native introduced species that occurs in North Carolina, Papaver dubium (Blindeyes). Here are photos and more information from the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide. Its leaves are lighter green and covered with hairs. Its blossoms are an orangish-red. It is on the list of Weeds of Tennessee.

There are several Callirhoe species that occur in or near North Carolina:

Callirhoe involucrata (Winecup), according to the USDA Plants Database, occurs in adjacent Virginia. Illinois Wildflowers talks about the stems being covered with spreading white hairs and you can see some hairs on the leaves in their photos.

Callirhoe papaver (Woodland poppy-mallow) occurs in Georgia. It is described by Wildflowers of the Escambia (Alabama and Florida) as being hairy.

Callirhoe alcaeoides (Light poppy-mallow) occurs in Tennessee with pale pink blossoms. Here are more photos and information.

Callirhoe triangulata (clustered poppymallow) grows in North Carolina. Here are more photos and information from Plants of Wisconsin.

Other members of the Family Malvaceae that somewhat resemble your description:

Anoda cristata (Crested anoda) occurs in North Carolina and is considered a weed by some. Here is a description and photos from Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide.

Modiola caroliniana (Carolina bristlemallow) has been characterized as a lawn weed. Here are more photos.

Geranium maculatum (Spotted geranium) occurs in North Carolina.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina geranium) occurs in North Carolina but its flowers are pink or white. Here are photos from Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide.

Erodium texanum (Fillaree) has been reported from South Carolina, but not from North Carolina according to the USDA Plants Database. In the spring in Texas they can seem almost invasive carpeting some areas.