Iliamna remota - KANKAKEE MALLOW

A rare native perennial, this mallow originally grew as an endemic species in the Kankakee Region and was not found anywhere else.

Now Iliamna remota is slowly becoming more popular in garden use. It offers bigger, hairy, highly ornamental leaves (6” across). Each flower is 1¼-2½" across, consisting of 5 light pink petals. A single flower is short-lived, but the whole plant blooms for a respectable length of time (over 2 months!) The flowers are lightly scented and typical for the Malvaceae (Mallow) family.

This perennial is clump/bush forming, but in time it can form small colonies via short rhizomes. Kankakee mallow thrives in burned areas, as fire helps the seeds germinate and regenerate populations.

Sharp-looking perennial for borders, pollinator gardens, rain gardens, moist meadows, along streams and ponds, or for naturalizing. It can be used as a small flowering shrub or combined with other perennials like Agastache, Aster novae-angliae, Aster dumosus, Aster novi-belgii, Chelone, Phlox paniculata, Oenothera, Phlox maculata, Physostegia virginiana, Rudbeckia fulgida, Tradescantia, as well as grasses like Panicum virgatum and its cultivars. 

Blooming Time: June/July, August, sometimes even in September
Size: 4-6’ high x 3’ wide
USDA Zones: 5 to 6
Culture: sun, half-sun, half-shade, preferably good loamy soil, rocky soil or sandy soil, but average garden soil should work too
Moisture Needs: medium, medium-moist
Origin: native wildflower to Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Wisconsin; grows naturally in the Kankakee Region (northeast Illinois) in rocky riverbanks, woodland edges, open rocky woodlands, and abandoned fields
Deer/Rabbit Resistant: no/probably not, needs protection (at least young plants)
Attracts Butterflies or Pollinators: native bees
Attracts Hummingbirds: no
Pot Size: 3.5" x 4" perennial pot (1.22 pt/580 ml)