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Plant Profile

Texas Poppy-mallow (Callirhoe scabriuscula)

Bees use these poppy-mallow flowers for nectar, pollen and shelter. In return, the plant get help with reproduction, as bees spread pollen between plants. Photo Credit: © McDonald

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Malvaceae
State: TX
Nature Serve ID: 137437
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 06/18/1986

Description:

Texas Poppy Mallow is a perennial herb about 18 inches high with beautiful wine-purple, cup-shaped flowers. These flowers bloom from May to June, and a key source of nectar, pollen, and shelter for bees in the area. These bees help the plant reproduce by spreading pollen between plants. Each flower opens in the morning a few hours after sunrise, closing right before sunset. If a flower is lucky enough to be pollinated by a visiting bee, it will close 30 to 90 minutes later, never opening again, and well on its way to producing seed. If a flower is not pollinated, it will continue its daily opening and closing ritual for six to eight days before wilting, unpollinated. (Texas Parks and Wildlife 2002) It occurs within the Rolling Plains vegetation zone of Texas. It is limited to deep, loose sand (USFWS 1985). Seed has been collected from this member of the Winecup genus and is being propagated at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. There is difficulty in transplanting the greenhouse grown plants into test plots (Merritt, pers. comm.)

Where is Texas Poppy-mallow (Callirhoe scabriuscula) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Loose, deep sand along the upper Colorado River. (USFWS 1981)

Distribution:

Coke, Mitchell, and Runnels counties in Texas (Texas Parks and Wildlife 2002)

States & Provinces:

Texas Poppy-mallow can be found in Texas

Which CPC Partners conserve Texas Poppy-mallow (Callirhoe scabriuscula)?

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Jonathan Flickinger

10/13/2023

There are currently about 3,700 seeds from two populations in the seed bank of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. One collection was made in 2002 from a site in Mitchell County. The rest of the seeds came from 55 plants rescued from a site in Runnels County by the Wildflower Center, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Angelo State University. The rescued plants were housed at the Wildflower Center for three years, where they were monitored and seed was collected. 43 of those plants were reintroduced to another site in Mitchell County in 2013.

09/01/2020

Seed has been collected from this member of the Winecup genus and is being propagated at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. There is difficulty in transplanting the greenhouse grown plants into test plots (Merritt, pers. comm.) The San Antonio Botanical Garden has grown plants from seed. Seed germinates but is difficult to transplant. Cruze studied the seed bank and population dynamics of this species (Cruze 1991; Cruze and Amos 1992) [Less...]

09/01/2020

Several plants were maintained in a test plot but deteriorated after several years.

08/31/2020

08/31/2020

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Known from about 10 populations in central Texas where it is restricted to a small area of deep sands. Most suitable habitat has been lost in recent years to sand mining, agriculture, improved pastures, residential and business development, and oil and gas development.

Cindy Barrett

01/01/2010

Threats include habitat loss due to farming, pasture planting, sand mining, and urban development. Because the flowers of this species are so beautiful, it is also susceptible to flower-picking, which is detrimental to the remaining populations because i

Cindy Barrett

01/01/2010

There are over 10 known populations in three Texas counties, at least one of which has landowner protection. (Texas Parks and Wildlife 2002)

Cindy Barrett

01/01/2010

The San Antonio Botanical Garden has grown plants from seed. Seed germinates but is difficult to transplant. Cruze studied the seed bank and population dynamics of this species (Cruze 1991; Cruze and Amos 1992)

Cindy Barrett

01/01/2010

Several plants were maintained in a test plot but deteriorated after several years.

Cindy Barrett

01/01/2010

Growth protocol research Seed collection from wild populations

Cindy Barrett

01/01/2010

Seed collection needed so as to send seed to the National Seed Storage Laboratory.