Sidalcea campestris |
Sidalcea pedata |
|
|---|---|---|
|
meadow checker-mallow, meadow checkerbloom, meadow sidalcea |
bird-foot 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, much of plant often tinted reddish purple, 0.2–0.4 m, not glaucous, with fleshy, simple to branched taproot, without rhizomelike rootstocks. |
| 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. |
clustered, erect to slightly ascending, base erect to decumbent-ascending, usually unbranched, (plants nearly scapose), solid, long-bristly with hairs often 2 mm, sometimes also stellate-hairy near base, usually becoming finely hispid distally. |
| 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. |
mostly basal, cauline 1–3; stipules lanceolate, 3–5 × 1 mm; petiole 6–9 cm, basal 2 times blade length, cauline 1/2 times blade length; blade usually orbiculate, 2–5(–6) × 2–5(–6) cm, base cordate, apex rounded, basal deeply dissected into 3–7 primary lobes, each less deeply incised and somewhat ternate, ultimate segments linear to oblong-elliptic, margins entire, distal blades repeatedly dissected with linear segments, surfaces densely hirtellous and stellate-hairy abaxially, less hairy with mostly simple hairs adaxially. |
| 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. |
erect or ascending, spiciform, initially dense, later open, calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in fruit, usually unbranched, usually 20+-flowered, proximal flowers remotely, evenly spaced, elongated in fruit, often 1-sided if ascending and not 1-sided when strictly erect, 15–30(–40) cm, elongating with fruits spaced, axis often wine-red; bracts linear, usually undivided, 2.5–4 mm, usually ± equaling or longer than pedicels. |
| Pedicels | 3–6(–20) mm; involucellar bractlets absent. |
1–2(–3) 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, similar in size, plants gynodioecious; calyx usually wine-red, 4–5(–7) mm, usually not accrescent, finely stellate-puberulent, marginal hairs longer and often simple; petals dark rose-pink, sometimes pale-veined, 7–10(–12) mm; staminal column 3–5 mm, sparsely hairy; anthers white; stigmas 5–8. |
| 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 mm diam.; mericarps 5–8, somewhat inflated, 2.5 mm, glabrous, smooth, back lightly grooved, not reticulate-veined or pitted, mucro 0.2–0.3 mm. |
| 2n | = 60. |
= 20. |
Sidalcea campestris |
Sidalcea pedata |
|
| Phenology | Flowering May–Aug. | Flowering May–Aug. |
| Habitat | Open shrublands, meadows, hedgerows, prairies | Moist meadows, open woodlands |
| Elevation | 40–200 m [130–700 ft] | (1500–)1600–2500 m [(4900–)5200–8200 ft] |
| Distribution |
OR
|
CA |
| 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 pedata is known from Bear Valley and Bluff Lake in San Bernardino County. It is generally easily distinguished by its relatively small flowers, its stature, its wine-red inflorescence axis, calyx, and buds, its fleshy taproot and lack of rhizomes, and its dense basal cluster of palmately dissected leaves. It is threatened by development, vehicles, and grazing, and has been listed as endangered in California and also federally. Of conservation concern. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
| Parent taxa | ||
| Sibling taxa | ||
| Synonyms | S. asplenifolia, S. sylvestris | S. spicata var. pedata |
| Name authority | Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 76. (1885) | A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 288. (1887) |
| Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 328. | FNA vol. 6, p. 351. |
| Web links | ||