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Sidalcea asprella

dwarf checkerbloom, harsh checker mallow, harsh checkerbloom

bristly checkerbloom, bristly-fruit checkerbloom, Edgewood 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, 0.5–1(–1.5) m, not glaucous, with thick, fibrous taproot or caudex and short, thick rootstocks that are not rhizomelike.
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.

1–3, clustered, erect, solid, proximally hairy, hairs a mix of soft, appressed, stellate and/or longer, bristlelike, 2 mm, distally sparsely puberulent.

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.

basal and cauline;

stipules deciduous, lanceolate, 4–7(–15) × 1–2 mm;

petioles of proximal leaves 10–20 cm, 3–4 times as long as blades, reduced distally to 1/2 times blade length;

blades: proximal orbiculate, shallowly or deeply 5–9-lobed, 5–10 × 5–10 cm, base wide-cordate to ± truncate, lobe margins coarsely crenate and dentate, apex 2–5-toothed, mid stem largest, 5–7(–9)-lobed, usually incised ± to base, 10–25 × 10–25 cm, lobe margins coarsely dentate to laciniate or entire, surfaces scabrid-hairy, hairs simple or forked, stiff;

distalmost 5–7-lobed, lobes linear, subentire, margins ciliate, surfaces glabrescent or with few hairs on abaxial 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 or subcapitate, dense, calyces usually conspicuously overlapping in flower and sometimes in fruit, branched, ca. 10-flowered, flowers/calyces overlapping, not 1-sided, 3–7(–10) cm, elongated in fruit;

bracts lanceolate-elliptic, undivided, 3–8 mm, longer than pedicels, often longer than young flower buds, ± equaling calyx.

Pedicels

2–5(–10) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

1–2 mm, to 4 mm in fruit;

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 5–9 mm, to 10 mm in fruit, margins ciliate, minutely stellate-puberulent and bristly with longer, coarser, usually pustulate hairs usually on pads, bristle hairs 1–2 mm;

petals pink to pinkish lavender, not notably whitish- or pale-veined, (5–)8–30 mm, pistillate 5–15 mm, bisexual to 20–30 mm;

staminal column 5–7 mm, hairy;

anthers white to pale pink;

stigmas (6 or)7 or 8.

Seeds

1.5–2.8 mm.

1.8 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, 2.5 mm, sparsely glandular-puberulent, margins usually sharp-edged but not winged, sides coarsely reticulate-veined to nearly smooth, back lightly reticulate-veined, usually prominently roughened at least on margins and/or back, pitted, mucro 0.5 mm.

2n

= 40, 60.

Sidalcea asprella

Sidalcea setosa

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Meadows, rocky hillsides, roadsides
Elevation 300–2300 m [1000–7500 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
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 setosa is distinguished by its branched inflorescence with each branch tipped by a dense spike, and by its conspicuously accrescent, membranous, bristly calyx. It intergrades with, and has been confused with, S. oregana subspp. oregana and spicata, and some authors have considered it to be doubtfully distinct from them. It is similar also to S. oregana subsp. eximia, and some plants show similarities to S. asprella. When mature, the fruit separates as a whole from the plant and can adhere to clothing or fur, an apparent adaptation for dispersal. It appears to be best developed and most frequent near Grants Pass, in the Klamath Range of 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. 353. 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. 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. sparsifolia, S. stipularis, S. virgata
Subordinate taxa
S. asprella subsp. asprella, S. asprella subsp. nana
Synonyms S. malviflora subsp. asprella S. setosa subsp. querceta
Name authority Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 78. (1885) C. L. Hitchcock: Perenn. Sp. Sidalcea, 53. (1957)
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