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Sidalcea asprella

dwarf checkerbloom, harsh checker mallow, harsh checkerbloom

Del Norte checkerbloom, dwarf checkerbloom

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.1–1(–1.2) m, infrequently ± glaucous, with caudex or not, usually with freely-rooting fibrous rootstocks or rhizomes (5–)10–30 cm × 2–4 mm, matted or not. Herbs, perennial, 0.2–0.6(–0.8) m, sometimes ± glaucous, with woody taproot or caudex and rhizomes, freely rooting, 20–30 cm × 2–4 mm, often mat-forming, forming clones often 1–8 m2.
Stems

usually single, erect and sometimes supported by adjacent plants (sprawling), base prostrate or decumbent-ascending to erect, often rooting, solid, not brittle, sometimes ± glaucous distally, proximally stellate-hairy, glabrate, hairs minute or larger and coarse (never simple only), usually 4-rayed, 0.5–1 mm.

scattered, erect to ascending, base decumbent to erect, usually rooting freely, solid, proximally hairy or glabrate, hairs soft, simple and stellate, distally brittle, easily broken, glabrous-glaucous.

Leaves

basal and/or cauline, similar in size and shape;

stipules linear to lanceolate, 2–3 × 1.1 mm;

petiole (1–)5–10(–15) cm, longest on proximal leaves, 1–4 times longer on proximal leaves to 1/2 times to as long as blade on distal leaves;

blade usually shallowly to deeply palmately 3–7-lobed usually halfway to base, proximal and distal cauline blades rounded to reniform, 2–3 × 2–5 cm, usually wider than long, base cordate to truncate, margins crenate, apex blunt or rounded, lobes narrowest at base, margins usually apically coarsely toothed, rarely entire, surfaces stellate-puberulent.

mostly basal or cauline 3 or 4 on proximal 1/3 of stem, much reduced;

stipules wide-lanceolate to ovate, 3–4 × 1–1.5 mm;

petioles of proximal leaves 6–12 cm, 2–4 times as long as blades in basal leaves, those of cauline leaves greatly reduced to 1/2 times or as long as blades;

blade rounded to reniform, palmately (3–)5–7-lobed, usually (1–)2–5(–10) × (1–)2–5(–10) cm, apex rounded, surfaces: abaxial harshly stellate-hairy, adaxial usually simple-haired, basal blades shallowly incised, lobes with 3 deep crenations;

cauline blades usually deeply 3–5(–7)-lobed nearly to base, lobe margins dentate or entire.

Inflorescences

ascending or erect, often spiciform, open, calyces not overlapping in flower or fruit, unbranched or branched, 2–15(–30)-flowered, elongate in both flower and fruit, usually 1-sided, 6–11(–30) cm;

bracts leaflike to linear, usually 2-fid, (2–)3–5(–15) mm.

ascending, open, calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, unbranched or few-branched, loosely (3–)5–10(–20)-flowered, not greatly elongated, 1-sided, 10–20 cm;

bracts narrowly elliptic, shallowly 2-fid, proximal bracts divided to base and often with leaf remnant between, 3–4 mm, usually shorter than to equaling pedicels.

Pedicels

2–5(–10) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

3–4(–10) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

Flowers

bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx 5–12 mm, uniformly densely stellate-puberulent;

petals pink to pale purple, pale-veined, (5–)10–28 mm, pistillate flowers darker, 5–15 mm;

staminal column 4–5 mm, stellate-puberulent;

anthers white;

stigmas (6 or)7 or 8.

bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx 7–10 mm, slightly enlarged in fruit, uniformly, coarsely stellate-puberulent (some rays sometimes longer than others);

petals dark pink, pale-veined at least when dry, pistillate 10–15(–20) mm, bisexual 20–25(–33) mm;

staminal column 4–5 mm, sparsely hairy;

anthers white to pale pink;

stigmas 6 or 7(or 8).

Seeds

1.5–2.8 mm.

2 mm.

Schizocarps

6–8 mm diam.;

mericarps (6 or)7 or 8, 3–4 mm, usually glandular-puberulent to stellate-puberulent, sometimes glabrous, roughened, strongly reticulate-veined, sides and back pitted, mucro 0.5–1 mm.

6–7 mm diam.;

mericarps 6 or 7(or 8), 3–3.5 mm, back not ribbed, roughened, sides and back strongly reticulate-veined-rugose and pitted (honeycomblike), top minutely glandular-puberulent, mucro 0.8–1 mm.

2n

= 40, 60.

Sidalcea asprella

Sidalcea elegans

Phenology Flowering (May–)Jun–Jul(–Sep).
Habitat Open, dry woodlands, usually on serpentine
Elevation 100–200(–900) m [300–700(–3000) ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Sidalcea asprella is variable and occurs from the central Sierra Nevada to southwestern Oregon. Typical plants in the central Sierra Nevada have weak, elongated stems that are often supported by neighboring vegetation; they lack simple recurved hairs at the stem base and may have either elongated rhizomes or a caudex. It has been confused with S. celata, S. elegans, S. gigantea, and S. glaucescens; formerly it was included within S. malviflora; molecular study has shown that it is different from S. malviflora. It belongs to a group including S. celata, S. elegans, S. gigantea, and S. hirtipes (K. Andreasen and B. G. Baldwin 2003).

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

Sidalcea elegans has been included within S. malviflora; it is easily distinguished by its relatively long, slender, shallow rhizomes; open, one-sided inflorescences; and thin, brittle stems. It resembles S. glaucescens in its leaves and inflorescence and is easily distinguished by its rhizomes and soft, simple hairs at the stem base. It has been confused with S. asprella, from which it is distinguished by its simple, flexible hairs at the stem base and by its more developed and elongated rhizomes and variable leaves. Sidalcea elegans occurs in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon.

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

Key
1. Plants (0.3–)0.5–1(–1.2) m, with caudex or usually compact rootstocks or rhizomes to 10(–30) cm × 4 mm; leaves mostly cauline; inflorescences 8–15 (–30)-flowered, erect; stems erect, sometimes weak and supported by other vegetation, sometimes proximally decumbent.
subsp. asprella
1. Plants 0.1–0.3(–0.4) m, with rhizomes 5–20 cm × 2(–3) mm; leaves mostly basal; inflorescences usually 2–10(–19)-flowered, ascending; stems decumbent-ascending to erect, sometimes proximally prostrate.
subsp. nana
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 325. Treatment author: Steven R. Hill. FNA vol. 6, p. 331. Treatment author: Steven R. Hill.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sidalcea Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sidalcea
Sibling taxa
S. calycosa, S. campestris, S. candida, S. celata, S. covillei, S. cusickii, S. diploscypha, S. elegans, S. gigantea, S. glaucescens, S. hartwegii, S. hendersonii, S. hickmanii, S. hirsuta, S. hirtipes, S. keckii, S. malachroides, S. malviflora, S. multifida, S. nelsoniana, S. neomexicana, S. oregana, S. pedata, S. ranunculacea, S. reptans, S. robusta, S. setosa, S. sparsifolia, S. stipularis, S. virgata
S. asprella, S. calycosa, S. campestris, S. candida, S. celata, S. covillei, S. cusickii, S. diploscypha, S. gigantea, S. glaucescens, S. hartwegii, S. hendersonii, S. hickmanii, S. hirsuta, S. hirtipes, S. keckii, S. malachroides, S. malviflora, S. multifida, S. nelsoniana, S. neomexicana, S. oregana, S. pedata, S. ranunculacea, S. reptans, S. robusta, S. setosa, S. sparsifolia, S. stipularis, S. virgata
Subordinate taxa
S. asprella subsp. asprella, S. asprella subsp. nana
Synonyms S. malviflora subsp. asprella S. malviflora subsp. elegans
Name authority Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 78. (1885) Greene: Cybele Columb. 1: 35. (1914)
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