Sidalcea campestris |
Sidalcea glaucescens |
|
|---|---|---|
|
meadow checker-mallow, meadow checkerbloom, meadow sidalcea |
glaucous checker mallow, waxy checker mallow, waxy checkerbloom |
|
| Habit | Herbs, perennial, 0.5–2 m, sometimes glaucous in age, with thick, rather woody taproot and short rhizomes usually to 10 cm × 10 mm. | Herbs, perennial, 0.2–0.5(–0.7) m, glaucous, with taproot and caudex, without rhizomes. |
| Stems | single or clustered, erect, base often decumbent-ascending, solid (proximally hollow on older stems), proximally densely bristly-hirsute, hairs simple or forked, 0.5–1 mm, sometimes mixed with minute, stellate hairs, sometimes glabrous and glaucous in age, hairs usually more appressed, simple, stellate, or sparse distally. |
usually few to many, clustered, sprawling or decumbent to ascending, rarely erect, not rooting, solid, glaucous, proximally usually stellate-puberulent, sometimes glabrous, distally glabrous. |
| Leaves | mostly cauline; stipules lanceolate, 4–11 × 1–1.5 mm; petioles of proximal leaves 15–20 cm, 2–3 times as long as blades, distal reduced to 0.5–10 cm, 1/2 times to as long as blades; blade 10–15 × 10–15 cm, smaller distally, surfaces scabrid-hairy, hairs dense, simple or stellate, stiff, stellate hairs mostly on adaxial surfaces, proximal blades orbiculate, shallowly to deeply palmately 7–9-lobed, 5–15 × 5–15 cm, base cordate, margins coarsely crenate-serrate, lobes apically 2–5-toothed; distal cauline leaves variable, mid blades usually palmately divided nearly to base into 5–7 cuneate lobes, 15 × 15 cm, lobes deeply cut to laciniately dissected, distal blades divided into (3–)5–7 linear, marginally subentire segments, surfaces glabrescent or with few hairs on abaxial surface veins, ciliate. |
basal and cauline, basal leaves 9 or fewer or deciduous; stipules lanceolate, (2–)3–5(–6) × 0.5–1.5 mm; petioles of basal and proximal cauline leaves 6–14 cm, 3–4 times as long as blades, reduced distally to 1/2 times to as long as blades; blade reniform-orbiculate, palmately 5(–7)-lobed, deeply incised, 2–6(–8) × 2–6(–8) cm, glaucous, surfaces glabrous or minutely stellate-puberulent, lobes shallowly dentate, more deeply divided on distal leaves, margins entire, distalmost sometimes linear, unlobed. |
| Inflorescences | erect, open, spiciform, calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, often branched from distal leaves, 15+-flowered, elongate, not 1-sided, 10–35 cm, proximal flowers spaced several cm apart, not leafy-bracted; bracts linear, distal undivided or 2-fid, proximal separate to base, 4–10 mm, usually equaling or longer than pedicels. |
ascending, open, calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, usually unbranched, 3–10(–20)-flowered, elongate, 1-sided, 8–20 cm, axis curved between flowers, sometimes zigzag in appearance; bracts linear to lanceolate, distinct or connate and 2-fid, 5 mm, proximal divided to base, distal often undivided, shorter than to equaling pedicels. |
| Pedicels | 3–6(–20) mm; involucellar bractlets absent. |
2–3(–10) mm; involucellar bractlets absent. |
| Flowers | bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious; calyx 5–9 mm, pistillate 5–7 mm, bisexual 6–9 mm, 8–10 mm in fruit, uniformly, densely stellate-hairy or with coarser, longer, stellate hairs to 2 mm; petals usually not overlapping, nearly white to pale pink or pale lavender, pistillate 9–12 mm, bisexual 13–25 mm; staminal column 5–7 mm, hairy; anthers white to pale pink; stigmas (6 or)7 or 8. |
bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious; calyx 5–10 mm, enlarging in fruit, hairy, hairs scattered, minute, stellate and sometimes capitate, glandular; petals pink to pink-purple, pale-veined at least when dry, pistillate (7–)9–12 mm, bisexual 15–20(–25) mm; staminal column 4–7 mm, stellate-hairy; anthers pale yellow or pinkish to white; stigmas 6–8. |
| Seeds | 2.5 mm. |
2 mm. |
| Schizocarps | 7–8 mm diam.; mericarps (6 or)7 or 8, 3.5 mm, roughened, sides prominently reticulate-rugose and pitted, back less so and glandular-puberulent, mucro 0.5–1 mm. |
5–7 mm diam.; mericarps 6–8, 3–3.5 mm, roughened, sides reticulate-veined and deeply pitted, back reticulate-veined and glandular-puberulent, mucro 0.3–1 mm. |
| 2n | = 60. |
= 40. |
Sidalcea campestris |
Sidalcea glaucescens |
|
| Phenology | Flowering May–Aug. | Flowering (May–)Jun–Aug(–Sep). |
| Habitat | Open shrublands, meadows, hedgerows, prairies | Dry, grassy meadows, open, usually red fir, juniper, or ponderosa pine forests, often serpentine |
| Elevation | 40–200 m [130–700 ft] | (900–)1500–3000 m [(3000–)4900–9800 ft] |
| Distribution |
OR
|
CA; NV
|
| Discussion | Sidalcea campestris is one of the taller species of Sidalcea and can be distinguished also by its range, hirsute indument, long inflorescences with spaced, long-stalked flowers, narrow very pale petals, and deeply incised pinnatifid stem leaves. It has been confused with S. hirtipes, S. nelsoniana, and S. oregana; it differs especially in characters of rhizomes, inflorescences, and leaves. It is a candidate for listing as threatened or endangered in Oregon. Specimens from British Columbia and Washington identified as S. campestris are either S. campestris escaped from cultivation or S. hendersonii. It is known as a native only from the Willamette Valley area (Multnomah and Washington to Benton and Linn counties). Apparently, it was introduced near Seattle, Washington; it may not persist there. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Sidalcea glaucescens is a relatively common, generally low-growing plant of relatively high elevations; it occurs from the central and northern Sierra Nevada to the southern Cascade and Klamath ranges and to north of Reno, Nevada. It usually can be distinguished by its highly glaucous, waxy stems and leaves, 3–5-lobed, entire-margined leaves, and basal leaves that wither by the time fruit is mature; additionally, proximal flowers are spaced several centimeters apart and leafy-bracted, and the inflorescence axis is curved between flowers. It has been confused with S. asprella, S. elegans, and S. multifida, to which it appears to be closely related. It can generally be distinguished from S. multifida by its 5(–7)-lobed leaves, the lobes shallowly incised or entire, its nonpersisting, fewer basal leaves, and its more-procumbent habit. Sidalcea elegans and S. virgata in southwestern Oregon also have been confused with S. glaucescens. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
| Parent taxa | ||
| Sibling taxa | ||
| Synonyms | S. asplenifolia, S. sylvestris | S. montana |
| Name authority | Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 76. (1885) | Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 77. (1885) |
| Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 328. | FNA vol. 6, p. 333. |
| Web links | ||