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Sidalcea asprella

dwarf checkerbloom, harsh checker mallow, harsh checkerbloom

hairy 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, annual, (0.1–)0.3–0.8 m, not glaucous, with taproot.
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.

single, erect, usually branched distally with erect branches, solid, not glaucous, proximally glabrate, distally usually softly, densely bristly-hirsute, rarely glabrescent.

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.

cauline;

stipules inconspicuous or deciduous, purplish, lanceolate to subulate, 3–12 × 1–2 mm;

petiole 2–7 cm, longest on proximal leaves and gradually reduced distally, proximalmost to 3 times as long as blade, reduced distally to 1/2 times or as long as blade;

blades: proximalmost early-deciduous, orbiculate, unlobed, 1–2.5 × 1–2.5 cm, base cordate, margins crenate, surfaces ± bristly, distal deeply palmately 5–7(–9)-lobed to base, 3–8 × 3–8 cm, lobes linear, margins entire, apex acute, surfaces: abaxially younger blades hirsute, older glabrous except on veins.

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.

erect, spiciform, dense, calyces usually overlapping, ca. 20–30-flowered, proximalmost 1 or 2 flowers in leaf axils, not elongate, not 1-sided, 2–5 cm, to 20 cm in fruit;

bracts inconspicuous or deciduous, often purplish, linear, 4–8 × to 2 mm, slightly longer than pedicels, usually 2-fid, sometimes undivided.

Pedicels

2–5(–10) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

2–3 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, less often unisexual and pistillate and plants gynodioecious;

calyx 8–10 mm, to 10–13 mm in fruit, prominently tawny-hirsute and densely stellate-canescent;

petals pale pink to dark rose-pink or rose-purple, often with paler veins, 13–25 mm;

stamens: filaments connate to apex, funnel-like, with rim to which unstalked anthers attach;

staminal column 6–7 mm, hairy;

anthers white;

stigmas 5 or 6.

Seeds

1.5–2.8 mm.

1.5–2 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.

8–9 mm diam.;

mericarps 5 or 6, 3–4 mm, back and sides reticulate-veined and pitted, wrinkled, ± stellate-puberulent, mucro 1 mm.

Sidalcea asprella

Sidalcea hirsuta

Phenology Flowering Apr–May(–Jun).
Habitat Vernally wet places: pools, ditches, grasslands
Elevation 20–1000 m [70–3300 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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 hirsuta is widespread but local in central and northern California, at least from Merced to southern Shasta counties and is sometimes locally common. The dense, terminal, spiciform inflorescences combined with the relatively small bracts and distally hirsute stems are distinctive; the lack of stalked anthers also helps to distinguish it from S. hartwegii.

(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. 338. 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. elegans, S. gigantea, S. glaucescens, S. hartwegii, S. hendersonii, S. hickmanii, 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
Name authority Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 78. (1885) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 16. (1852)
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