Sidalcea malviflora is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, known by the common names dwarf checkerbloom,[1] Greek mallow,[2] prairie mallow[3] and dwarf checkermallow.
| Sidalcea malviflora | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sidalcea malviflora ssp. malviflora | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Sidalcea |
| Species: | S. malviflora
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sidalcea malviflora | |
Distribution
editSidalcea malviflora is native to the West Coast of the United States, from Washington to California, and into northwestern Baja California. It is a common plant of chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and other habitat types.
Description
editSidalcea malviflora is somewhat variable in appearance and there are many subspecies. In general it is a perennial herb growing from a woody caudex and rhizome, its stem reaching about 60 centimeters in maximum height. It is sparsely to densely hairy in texture. The leaf blades are variable in shape, but are often divided deeply into several lobes. The inflorescence is a dense or loose array of several flowers. The flower has five petals in shades of bright to dark pink, often with white veining, and measuring one to over three centimeters in length.
Subspecies and endemics
editThere are over ten subspecies, some of which are endemic and rare:. They include:[4]
- Sidalcea malviflora ssp. californica — California checkerbloom.
- Sidalcea malviflora ssp. dolosa — endemic to the San Bernardino Mountains.[5]
- Sidalcea malviflora ssp. laciniata
- Sidalcea malviflora ssp. laciniata var. laciniata
- Sidalcea malviflora ssp. laciniata var. sancta
- Sidalcea malviflora ssp. malviflora — Checker mallow [6]
- Sidalcea malviflora ssp. patula — Siskiyou checkerbloom — endemic to far northwestern California and southwestern Oregon.[7]
- Sidalcea malviflora ssp. purpurea — Purple-stemmed checkerbloom — endemic to the California coast just north of the San Francisco Bay Area.[8]
- Sidalcea malviflora ssp. rostrata
- Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata — Dwarf checkerbloom [9]
Cultivation
editSidalcea malviflora is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for use in traditional, native plant, water conserving, and wildlife gardens.
Cultivars have been selected for flower colors and size qualities, they include:
Ecology
editIt is a larval host to the West Coast lady.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Sidalcea malviflora". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ "Prairie Mallow". Home Gardening - Flower Growing Guides. Cornell University. 2006. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ USDA: Sidalcea malviflora subspecies and varieties
- ^ Jepson: Sidalcea malviflora ssp. dolosa
- ^ Calflora: Sidalcea malviflora ssp. malviflora
- ^ CNPS: Sidalcea malviflora ssp. patula
- ^ CNPS: Sidalcea malviflora ssp. purpurea
- ^ USDA: Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata (dwarf checkerbloom)
- ^ Theodore Payne Foundation, California Natives Wiki: Sidalcea malviflora 'Palustre'
- ^ Daves Garden blog: Sidalcea malviflora 'Rosanna'
- ^ The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
External links
edit- Calflora Database: Sidalcea malviflora (Checker bloom, Wild Hollyhock, checker mallow, dwarf checkerbloom)
- Jepson Manual Treatment: Sidalcea malviflora
- USDA Plants Profile for Sidalcea malviflora
- Sidalcea malviflora — U.C. Photo gallery
