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gray globemallow, soft globe-mallow

Habit Plants perennial.
Stems

3–5(–7), erect, yellow to yellow-green, (4–)6–18(–30) dm, rubbery when fresh, sometimes appearing slightly ridged or fasciated when dry, densely canescent.

Leaf

blades light green to yellow-green, deltate or elongate-deltate, unlobed or weakly 3-lobed, center lobe sometimes elongate, lobes relatively broad, 3–5(–7) cm, not rugose, rubbery, base cuneate or truncate to cordate, margins entire or crenulate to undulate, surfaces stellate-pubescent.

Inflorescences

paniculate, crowded, flowers long-interrupted, tip not leafy;

involucellar bractlets green to tan.

Flowers

sepals 3.5–6.5 mm, spheric in bud;

petals red-orange to pale red, 10–17 mm;

anthers yellow.

Seeds

2 per mericarp, brown, glabrous or pubescent.

Schizocarps

hemispheric;

mericarps 11–15, 4–5.5 × 2–2.5 mm, chartaceous, nonreticulate dehiscent part 60–75% of height, tip reflexed, indehiscent part not wider than dehiscent part, sides faintly to prominently and finely reticulate with thin-translucent areolae.

2n

= 10, 20.

Sphaeralcea incana

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Sandy areas
Elevation 1000–1900 m (3300–6200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sphaeralcea incana is often seen in relatively small groups. Fresh stems tend to be very rubbery and flower buds notably rounded.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 365.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sphaeralcea
Sibling taxa
S. ambigua, S. angustifolia, S. caespitosa, S. coccinea, S. coulteri, S. digitata, S. emoryi, S. fendleri, S. fumariensis, S. gierischii, S. grossulariifolia, S. hastulata, S. laxa, S. leptophylla, S. lindheimeri, S. moorei, S. munroana, S. orcuttii, S. parvifolia, S. pedatifida, S. polychroma, S. procera, S. psoraloides, S. rusbyi, S. wrightii
Synonyms S. incana subsp. cuneata, S. incana var. cuneata
Name authority Torrey ex A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 23. (1849)
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