Annual or tall wine cup, tall poppy mallow Annual or tall wine cup, tall poppy mallow

Plants annual, sometimes biennial. Stems 1–7(–10), erect to weakly erect, 0.5–10(–12) dm, glabrous or sparingly hairy, hairs 4-rayed, stellate, somewhat glaucous. Leaves: stipules persistent, strongly auriculate, 4–8(–12) mm; petiole 0.7–8 (–12) cm; blade suborbiculate, reniform-cordate, or ovate, shallowly to deeply 3–7- lobed, 1–7(–9) × 1–9.5 cm, surfaces sparingly hairy, hairs 4-rayed, stellate, and simple abaxially, mostly simple adaxially, lobes oblanceolate. Inflorescences racemose; involucellar bractlets absent. Flowers bisexual or functionally pistillate; calyx lobes valvate in bud, forming apiculate or acuminate point; petals reddish purple with white basal spot, 1.5–2.3(–3.5) cm (male sterile 1.1–1.6 cm). Schizocarps 5.5–7 mm diam.; mericarps 10–14, 2.8–4.5 × 1.5–2.7 mm, glabrous, dehiscent; beaks prominent, 1–2 mm; collars well developed, 3-lobed. 2n = 28.

Flowering (late winter–)spring–mid summer, sporadically later. Prairies, mesquite-juniper woodlands, borders of woods and thickets; 0–1000 m; Kans., Okla., Tex.

Callirhoe leiocarpa has been confused with C. pedata by some authors. It is cultivated occasionally.