Flora of North America species comparison

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Malvella lepidota

scurfy mallow
Stems

prostrate, trailing, densely hairy with mixture of intergrading stellate and silvery-lepidote hairs.
Leaves

petiole 1/2–2 times as long as blade;

blade ± triangular to somewhat ovate, mostly 1–2 cm, usually 1–2(–3) times longer than wide, base truncate or cuneate, margins irregularly dentate, apex acute, surfaces densely hairy, hairs predominantly stellate abaxially, predominantly silvery-lepidote adaxially.
Pedicels

long, subequal to subtending leaves;

involucellar bractlets usually 0, sometimes 3, filiform.
Flowers

calyx 6–8 mm, silvery-lepidote, lobes cordate-ovate, bases plicate, apex acuminate;

petals whitish or pale yellow, sometimes fading rose, asymmetric, 10–15 mm;

stamens pallid, glabrous, staminal column antheriferous at apex;

style ca. 7-branched, pallid, glabrous.
Schizocarps

5–6 mm diam.

Malvella lepidota
Phenology Flowering year-round.
Habitat Heavy, saline soil on mud flats, lake shores
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; NV; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Zacatecas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Malvella lepidota is somewhat intermediate between the other two species in our range, having both stellate hairs and lepidote scales, and sometimes having an involucel. It is less common and less weedy than M. leprosa.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 301.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Malvella
Sibling taxa
M. leprosa, M. sagittifolia
Synonyms Sida lepidota, Disella lepidota, S. lepidota var. depauperata
Name authority (A. Gray) Fryxell: SouthW. Naturalist 19: 101. (1974)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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