Glade Mallow (Napaea dioica)

I acquired this plant from a nursery a few years ago. I had originally intended to use it as an "interest" plant in my moist woodland garden; showcasing the very large leaves. At the time I wasn't aware that it is a host plant to the Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) butterfly. This plant's leaves are decimated entirely by these winged beauties for most of the summer if the plant is placed out in the garden. This non-stop feeding frenzy skeletonizes the leaves , but doesn't appear to harm the growth, blooming capacity or longevity of the plant.The second year I had it I planted it in the dirt floor of my unheated greenhouse with much better results. I now have enough of the original plant that I have some in the GH, and some in an out-of-the-way spot in the gardens as a food source for the Painted Lady cats.

This plant is one tough Hombre! The summer temps inside the GH are very hot (surpassing 120 degrees Fahrenheit), the (established) plant gets no additional water from me, and still it manages to survive. It appears to be on some of the endangered species lists for our area. I'm not sure why, unless it's due to the draining of swamplands and moist meadow-lands for other purposes.

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This is an uncommon species found in sporadic locations in the Midwest of the USA from Ohio to Illinois to Minnesota in moist to draining wet locations. I've only seen it planted at Jenkins Arboretum in southeast Pennsylvania near their big pond, a proper place for it. I did not know what it was for some years as it was not labeled. I considered that it might be the similar Virginia Mallow or Fanpetals (Sida hermaphrodita), some of which were being sold at the arboretum in pots, but it was not. A Facebook friend on the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society page pointed me in the right direction. It is a really large perennial that needs room to spread by its rhizomatous root system that also includes a hollow taproot. The 3 to 9 lobed palmate leaves get to 18 inches by 18 inches. The male (staminate) plants bear the small white flowers about 3/4 " wide with 5 petals and a number of white stamens while the female (pistillate) plants bear 3/4", white flowers with 5 petals with a longer flower tube that is a compound pistil having pinkish stigmata. A few native plant or specialty plant nurseries sell some.

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