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white checkerbloom, white checkermallow

Butte County checkerbloom

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.3–1 m, ± glaucous, with rhizomes wide-spreading, compact to elongate, 5 mm diam. Herbs, perennial, (0.5–)0.8–1.2(–1.8) m, glaucous, with caudex and usually well-developed rhizomes to 0.5 mm diam.
Stems

single, clustered in older plants, erect, sometimes branched distally, solid, glabrous or moderately hirsute, hairs retrorse, simple proximally, becoming ± finely stellate-hairy distally.

often single, usually scattered, erect, usually unbranched, solid or somewhat hollow in age, proximally densely, finely stellate-hairy, hairs spreading, distally glaucous, glabrous.

Leaves

basal and mostly cauline, not evenly arrayed;

stipules deciduous, ovate, 10 × 2–2.5 mm;

petiole (4–)6–18 cm, usually 1/2 times to as long as blade;

petals often not overlapping, white to pale pinkish, drying yellowish, 10–20 mm;

staminal column 6–9 mm, hairy;

anthers bluish pink;

stigmas 6–9.

cauline, mostly on abaxially, bristly-hirsute adaxially.

Inflorescences

erect, open, calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, usually unbranched, loosely 10+-flowered, flowers 1+ cm apart, elongate, sometimes 1-sided, 30–40(–45) cm;

bracts inconspicuous, lanceolate to linear, distal unlobed, 2–4 mm, proximal divided ± to base, 4–6 mm, usually equaling or shorter than pedicels.

Pedicels

2–5 mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

Flowers

usually bisexual, sometimes pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx 10–15 mm, uniformly, densely stellate-puberulent;

petals: bisexual pale pink, often drying yellowish, pale-veined or not, base pale pink to white, (15–)20–35 mm, pistillate usually darker purple, base white, 5(–10) mm;

staminal column 6–8 mm, hairy;

anthers white;

stigmas (6 or)7 or 8.

Seeds

2 mm.

2–2.5 mm.

Schizocarps

5–7 mm diam.;

mericarps 6–9, 3–5.5 mm, sides smooth or slightly reticulate-veined, back less so, not pitted, top minutely hairy, mucro 0.5–0.8 mm.

6–8 mm diam.;

mericarps (6 or)7 or 8, 3–3.5 mm, usually glabrous or very sparsely glandular-puberulent, distinctly narrowly wing-margined dorsally, sides lightly reticulate-veined, pitted, back less so, mucro 0.3–0.5 mm.

2n

= 20.

= 20.

Sidalcea candida

Sidalcea robusta

Phenology Flowering (May–)Jun–Aug(–Sep). Flowering Apr–May(–Jun).
Habitat Moist stream banks and meadows, mountains Dry banks in chaparral at ecotone with foothill woodlands, often basaltic soil, with Quercus douglasii
Elevation (1400–)2000–3200 m ((4600–)6600–10500 ft) 100–400(–1300) m (300–1300(–4300) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; NM; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sidalcea candida is one of the more eastern species of Sidalcea (along with S. neomexicana) and is also one of the more easily distinguished because of its relatively large, crowded flowers with white petals, deep, wide-spreading rhizomes, pinkish-blue anthers, and nearly glabrous stems and leaves. It has become a popular garden plant. Hitchcock recognized two varieties based on calyx indument, var. candida with the calyx uniformly hairy, and var. glabrata with the calyx much more hairy at the base than on the lobes. Cockerell distinguished plants with somewhat pink petals as var. tincta. These differences do not appear to be taxonomically significant, and the varieties lack geographic coherence.

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

Of conservation concern.

Sidalcea robusta is one of the taller species of Sidalcea and can be distinguished also by its relatively long inflorescences with widely-spaced, showy flowers, its limited range, and its winged mericarps are notable. Rare and threatened by development, it is known from Butte County in the southern Cascade Range foothills and the northern Sierra Nevada foothills.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 328. FNA vol. 6, p. 353.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sidalcea Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Sidalcea
Sibling taxa
S. asprella, S. calycosa, S. campestris, 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. setosa, S. sparsifolia, S. stipularis, S. virgata
Synonyms S. candida var. glabrata, S. candida var. tincta S. asprella var. robusta
Name authority A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 24. (1849) A. Heller ex Roush: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 18: 205. (1931)
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