Winecup

Description:

Purple poppy-mallow’s stems sprawl along the ground up to 3 feet, forming a thick mat up to 1 foot tall. Rounded, hairy leaves are deeply lobed and cleft. The chalice-shaped, 1 1/2-2 1/2 in. wide flowers have a white spot at the base of their five, maroon petals. Flowers, which are borne on long, axillary stalks, close in the evening, open in the morning and remain closed after pollination.

Habitat:

Meadow in Wichita Forest.

Notes:

Wine cup tubers can be found in dry, sandy fields, especially in the Texas Hill Country. The leaves are best cooked where their okra-like tendencies can be used to thicken stews. The tubers taste like sweet potatoes and can be eaten raw or cooked. The tubers are biggest in the winter, but are very hard to find then without the wine cup flower showing their location.