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desert five-spot

Habit Plants erect; main stem unbranched or branched from base, spotted or flushed purple-maroon, 8–30(–60) cm, sparsely or densely hairy, hairs mostly simple, bristly, to 3 mm.
Leaf

blades unlobed, 1.5–6 cm, margins crenate-dentate.

Inflorescences

usually exceeding leaves.

Pedicels

1.5–8 cm;

involucellar bractlets filiform, 6–10 mm.

Flowers

calyx 9–14 mm, lobes 5.5–11 × 3.5–7 mm;

petals rose-pink to lilac, magenta-spotted at base, (15–)20–30 mm, exceeding calyx.

Mericarps

25–36, black, waferlike edges acute, reticulate, 2.8–3.5 mm.

2n

= 20.

Eremalche rotundifolia

Phenology Flowering mid winter–late spring.
Habitat Dry desert scrub
Elevation ?50–1200 m (?200–3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
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Discussion

Eremalche rotundifolia is morphologically and perhaps generically distinct from the other species of Eremalche; it occurs widely in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts and in Death Valley.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 247.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Eremalche
Sibling taxa
E. exilis, E. parryi
Synonyms Malvastrum rotundifolium, Sphaeralcea rotundifolia
Name authority (A. Gray) Greene: Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1: 208. (1906)
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