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mountain sidalcea, New Mexico checkerbloom, New Mexico checkermallow, New Mexico or salt-spring checkerbloom, Rocky Mountain checkerbloom, salt spring checkerbloom

giant checkerbloom

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.2–0.8(–1.2) m, glaucous or not, with thick, fleshy, tuberous or fibrous taproot and other roots clustered, fleshy, without caudex and rhizomes. Herbs, perennial, (0.8–)2(–2.5) m, not glaucous except on stems, usually in colonies, with rhizomes to 40–60 cm × (6–)10 mm, glabrescent with reflexed-appressed bristle hairs 2.5 mm.
Stems

1–several, clustered, erect or ascending from slightly decumbent base, unbranched or branched, solid, infrequently hollow in robust plants, sometimes glaucous, proximally usually coarsely, densely to moderately bristly-hirsute, hairs often pustulose to sparsely stellate-hairy, sometimes glabrous, distally usually minutely puberulent or glabrous.

single, scattered, erect, usually purple tinted proximally, hollow especially towards base, pithy distally, 10–14 mm diam. just distal to base, often glaucous, proximally densely retrorsely bristly-hairy and stellate-hairy, hairs pustulate, 1.5–2.5 mm, distally sometimes glabrous.

Leaves

basal and cauline, cauline 3+;

stipules linear to wide-lanceolate, 4–8 × 1–2 mm;

petioles of proximalmost leaves 10–25 cm, reduced distally to shorter than blade, to 5 times blade length;

blade fleshy, margins often short-ciliate, surfaces sparsely hairy, less so adaxially, hairs simple-hirsute to stellate, appressed, basal orbiculate, unlobed, margins crenate, or shallowly 5–7(–9)-lobed, (1.5–) 2–6(–8) × (1.5–)2–6(–8) cm, base cordate, apex rounded, lobes with margins crenate to dentate, apex acute, distal cauline highly reduced or not, deeply, palmately (3–)5–7(–9)-lobed, smaller, ultimate divisions linear, margins entire.

mostly cauline, basal usually absent;

stipules deciduous, with pink band on stem at base, narrowly lanceolate, (3.5–)5(–8) × 0.7(–1.5) mm;

petioles of proximal leaves 6–8 cm, those of midstem leaves 10–14 cm, 2 times to as long as blade, apex curved with swollen portion or pulvinus 5–6 × 1.8 mm;

blades of proximalmost cauline leaves rounded, shallowly, palmately 4- or 5-lobed, 0.5–0.7 × 0.5–0.7 cm, lobe margins irregularly, sparsely dentate, apices rounded, mid-cauline blades 5–7-lobed, 6.5–12 × 10–13 cm, wider than long, gradually reduced distally, lobes straplike, divided 3/4 to base, lobes 5.5 × 1.5–1.8 cm, margins coarsely dentate, surfaces sparsely, minutely hispid and stellate-puberulent, distal leaves deeply 5-lobed, otherwise similar in shape, leaves immediately below inflorescence greatly reduced, irregularly 2- or 3-lobed.

Inflorescences

erect to ascending, open or dense, calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, unbranched or branched, 20+-flowered, proximal flowers spaced 1+ cm apart, elongate, sometimes 1-sided, 10–25 cm, elongating in fruit;

bracts linear to lanceolate, undivided or deeply 2-fid, 4–10 mm, usually equaling or longer than pedicels.

erect, spiciform, open, calyces usually not overlapping, usually branched, branches 14–18 cm, each branch 10–20 flowered, not 1-sided, elongate, 5–20 cm;

bracts 1, usually undivided, narrowly lanceolate, often 2-fid, 2.5 mm, equaling or slightly longer than pedicel, much shorter than calyx.

Pedicels

5–8(–40) mm, equaling to much longer than calyx in fruit;

involucellar bractlets absent.

2–3(–5) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

Flowers

bisexual or, less frequently, unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx 5–8(–10) mm, often accrescent, sparsely hairy, hairs simple, to 1 mm, pustulose, sometimes small, stellate, infrequently glandular, surface not obscured;

petals pale pinkish rose or pale lavender-purple, bases paler, rarely white, veins usually pale, (6–)10–20(–25) mm, pistillate 8–12 mm, bisexual 18–20 mm;

staminal column 5–6 mm, hispid-puberulent;

anthers white;

stigmas (7 or)8 or 9.

bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx 5–6 mm, to 8 mm in fruit, uniformly, densely stellate-puberulent, surface obscured;

petals pale pink, pale-veined, pistillate 7–9 mm, bisexual (10–)14–20(–25) mm;

staminal column 6–8 mm, stellate-puberulent;

anthers white to cream or pale yellow;

stigmas (6)7 or 8.

Seeds

1.5 mm.

1.5 mm.

Schizocarps

5 mm diam.;

mericarps (7 or)8 or 9, 2–3 mm, ± glabrous, sides thin, smooth to slightly reticulate-veined, not pitted, mucro 0.5–0.8(–1) mm.

6–7 mm diam.;

mericarps (6)7 or 8, sides 3 mm, thick, back and margins thick, rounded, reticulate-veined, pitted, back with prominent groove, top sparsely glandular-stellate-puberulent, mucro 1 mm.

2n

= 20.

Sidalcea neomexicana

Sidalcea gigantea

Phenology Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Aug. Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Desert alkaline springs, moist mountain meadows, wet ditches, marshes Moist to wet, forested slopes, seeps, stream margins, meadows, coniferous forests
Elevation 10–2800 m (0–9200 ft) (600–)900–1700 m ((2000–)3000–5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; NM; NV; OR; TX; UT; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sidalcea neomexicana is variable among and within populations. It is similar to S. covillei and S. sparsifolia, the former possibly derived from it. Sidalcea neomexicana usually can be distinguished by its fleshy roots; hirsute stems; slender pedicels (especially in fruit); pustulate, coarse calyx hairs; and relatively smooth mericarp surfaces. Some plants (in California and Mexico) are well adapted to hot desert springs; overall, S. neomexicana appears to have roots and a rootstock adapted to marshy conditions. It ranges farther south than any other Sidalcea. E. M. F. Roush (1931) recognized no subspecific taxa; C. L. Hitchcock (1957) accepted four geographically and morphologically defined subspecies, three of which (crenulata, neomexicana, thurberi) occur north of Mexico.

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

Sidalcea gigantea is likely the tallest Sidalcea species; it can be distinguished also by its range (high Cascades and the northern high Sierra Nevada), retrorse hirsute stem bases, thick, hollow stems, and massive, hirsute rhizome systems. Most large patches appear to be clonal and generally produce either bisexual or unisexual, pistillate stems. Sidalcea gigantea is closely related to, and has been confused with, both S. asprella and S. celata. Its leaves are most like those of S. asprella in that they are usually similar in shape throughout the stem; the tall stems and massive rhizome systems distinguish it from S. asprella, as do its occurrence at higher elevations and its later flowering time.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 346. FNA vol. 6, p. 332.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sidalcea Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sidalcea
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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
Synonyms S. confinis, S. crenulata, S. neomexicana subsp. crenulata, S. neomexicana subsp. diehlii, S. neomexicana var. diehlii, S. neomexicana var. parviflora, S. neomexicana subsp. thurberi, S. nitrophila, S. parviflora, S. parviflora var. thurberi
Name authority A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 23. (1849) G. L. Clifton: Madroño 56: 285, figs. 1 – 3. (2010)
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