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meadow checker-mallow, meadow checkerbloom, meadow sidalcea

dwarf checkerbloom, southern 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, 0.2–0.8 m, not glaucous, with thick, fibrous caudex or taproot and short rootstocks, rhizomes developed or not, 3–5 mm diam.
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.

1–20, clustered, erect to ascending or decumbent, usually not rooting, solid, proximally hairy, hairs simple, stellate, or mixed, 0.5–1.5 mm, distally usually stellate-hairy or 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.

mostly basal, cauline to 5, (plant sometimes scapose);

stipules linear to lanceolate, 2–8 × 1–1.5 mm;

petioles of basal leaves 5–10(–25) cm, often 5 times blade length, distally reduced to 1/2 times blade length;

blade orbiculate to reniform, 2–6(–8) × 2–6(–8) cm, base cordate, apex rounded, surfaces stellate-hairy abaxially, moderately minutely stellate-hairy to appressed-hairy adaxially, basal leaves usually shallowly 7-lobed, sometimes unlobed and margins crenate, cauline smaller, palmately 3–5-lobed ± to base, lobe margins entire or incised.

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.

usually ascending, ± open, calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, branched or unbranched, 10+-flowered, most flowers spaced 1+ cm apart, elongated, extending well above leaves, narrow, often 1-sided, (15–)30–45 cm;

bracts lanceolate, mostly 2-fid, proximal bracts divided ± to base, distal sometimes undivided.

Pedicels

3–6(–20) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

2–8(–15) 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 6–10 mm, densely to sparsely stellate-puberulent, hairs usually longer, coarser, 2–4-rayed especially at margins and over veins;

petals pinkish rose to pinkish lavender or magenta, pale-veined or not, base often white, 10–25 mm, pistillate darker, 6–15 mm, bisexual 12–25(–30) mm;

staminal column 5–6 mm, puberulent;

anthers white;

stigmas (6 or)7–9.

Seeds

2.5 mm.

2.5 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.

5–6 mm diam.;

mericarps (6 or)7–9, 2.5–3 mm, roughened, glandular-puberulent, lightly to moderately reticulate-veined, pitted, mucro 0.5–1 mm.

2n

= 60.

= 20, 40.

Sidalcea campestris

Sidalcea sparsifolia

Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering Mar–Jun(–Sep).
Habitat Open shrublands, meadows, hedgerows, prairies Moist, often grassy, open places, often on mesas, chaparral, pine-oak openings
Elevation 40–200 m [130–700 ft] 10–2200 m [30–7200 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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 sparsifolia intergrades with S. malviflora subsp. californica and S. neomexicana. None of the varieties described within S. malviflora subsp. sparsifolia is recognized here but one or more of them may merit distinction. Along with S. neomexicana, S. sparsifolia is one of the southern species of Sidalcea and one of the more tolerant of hot, dry, desert conditions.

Sidalcea sparsifolia is the most common of the southern California species, occurring in the Sierra Nevada foothills and South Coast Ranges. It has been confused with S. neomexicana and with subspecies of S. malviflora. It can be distinguished from the former by its nonpustulate hairs, fibrous crown, and nonfleshy roots, and from the latter by its inland habitat, larger, ascending inflorescences, and tendency to have mostly basal leaves.

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

Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sidalcea Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sidalcea
Sibling taxa
S. asprella, S. calycosa, 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. setosa, S. stipularis, S. virgata
Synonyms S. asplenifolia, S. sylvestris S. malviflora subsp. sparsifolia, S. malviflora var. hirsuta, S. malviflora var. stellata, S. malviflora var. uliginosa
Name authority Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 76. (1885) (C. L. Hitchcock) S. R. Hill: Madroño 56: 107. (2009)
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 328. Treatment author: Steven R. Hill. FNA vol. 6, p. 354. Treatment author: Steven R. Hill.
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