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Nelson's checker-mallow, Nelson's checkerbloom

glaucous checker mallow, waxy checker mallow, waxy checkerbloom

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.4–1 m, often glaucous, with thick, woody taproot and lateral rhizomes to 500 mm. Herbs, perennial, 0.2–0.5(–0.7) m, glaucous, with taproot and caudex, without rhizomes.
Stems

clustered, erect, base decumbent-ascending, solid or ± hollow in age, usually ± glaucous distally, glabrous or sparsely hirtellous, hairs short, appressed, simple.

usually few to many, clustered, sprawling or decumbent to ascending, rarely erect, not rooting, solid, glaucous, proximally usually stellate-puberulent, sometimes glabrous, distally glabrous.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

stipules sometimes deciduous, lanceolate to ovate, (4–)7–9(–14) × (1.2–)3–4 mm;

petioles of proximal leaves 18–37 cm, 3–5 times as long as blades, distal 5–20 cm, to 1/2–1 times as long as blades;

blades: basal reniform to rounded, unlobed and marginally deeply crenate or very shallowly palmately 5–7-lobed, 6–20 × 6–20 cm, base cordate, apex rounded;

cauline deeply 5–9-lobed, lobes linear-elliptic to oblong-elliptic, margins usually entire, sometimes toothed, surfaces finely, sparsely hairy, hairs mostly simple.

basal and cauline, basal leaves 9 or fewer or deciduous;

stipules lanceolate, (2–)3–5(–6) × 0.5–1.5 mm;

petioles of basal and proximal cauline leaves 6–14 cm, 3–4 times as long as blades, reduced distally to 1/2 times to as long as blades;

blade reniform-orbiculate, palmately 5(–7)-lobed, deeply incised, 2–6(–8) × 2–6(–8) cm, glaucous, surfaces glabrous or minutely stellate-puberulent, lobes shallowly dentate, more deeply divided on distal leaves, margins entire, distalmost sometimes linear, unlobed.

Inflorescences

erect, spiciform, proximally open, distally dense, otherwise calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, branched, 20+-flowered, proximalmost flowers spaced usually to 1 cm apart, not leafy-bracted, elongate, not 1-sided, 10–20 cm;

bracts single, purple, mm, hairy;

anthers white;

stigmas (6 or)7 or 8.

ascending, open, calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, usually unbranched, 3–10(–20)-flowered, elongate, 1-sided, 8–20 cm, axis curved between flowers, sometimes zigzag in appearance;

bracts linear to lanceolate, distinct or connate and 2-fid, 5 mm, proximal divided to base, distal often undivided, shorter than to equaling pedicels.

Pedicels

2–3(–10) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

Flowers

bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx 5–10 mm, enlarging in fruit, hairy, hairs scattered, minute, stellate and sometimes capitate, glandular;

petals pink to pink-purple, pale-veined at least when dry, pistillate (7–)9–12 mm, bisexual 15–20(–25) mm;

staminal column 4–7 mm, stellate-hairy;

anthers pale yellow or pinkish to white;

stigmas 6–8.

Seeds

1.5 mm.

2 mm.

Schizocarps

4–5 mm diam.;

mericarps (6 or)7 or 8, 2 mm, roughened, sparsely glandular-puberulent apically, sides finely reticulate to faintly rugose, sometimes also on back, to nearly smooth, not pitted, mucro 0.5–1 mm.

5–7 mm diam.;

mericarps 6–8, 3–3.5 mm, roughened, sides reticulate-veined and deeply pitted, back reticulate-veined and glandular-puberulent, mucro 0.3–1 mm.

2n

= 20.

= 40.

Sidalcea nelsoniana

Sidalcea glaucescens

Phenology Flowering (May–)Jun–Jul(–Sep). Flowering (May–)Jun–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat Open fields, meadows, fencerows, remnant prairies Dry, grassy meadows, open, usually red fir, juniper, or ponderosa pine forests, often serpentine
Elevation (40–)100–600(–1300) m ((100–)300–2000(–4300) ft) (900–)1500–3000 m ((3000–)4900–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Sidalcea nelsoniana is uncommon and persists generally in degraded habitats. It resembles S. campestris and S. virgata, with similar ranges, but is generally less hairy and has a smaller, usually purplish calyx. It has been listed as endangered in Washington and as threatened in Oregon; the number of populations and individuals has greatly declined as a result of land development. It is found in the Willamette Valley area from Multnomah and Washington to Benton and Linn counties in Oregon, and in Cowlitz and Lewis counties in Washington.

Sidalcea nelsoniana is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

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

Sidalcea glaucescens is a relatively common, generally low-growing plant of relatively high elevations; it occurs from the central and northern Sierra Nevada to the southern Cascade and Klamath ranges and to north of Reno, Nevada. It usually can be distinguished by its highly glaucous, waxy stems and leaves, 3–5-lobed, entire-margined leaves, and basal leaves that wither by the time fruit is mature; additionally, proximal flowers are spaced several centimeters apart and leafy-bracted, and the inflorescence axis is curved between flowers. It has been confused with S. asprella, S. elegans, and S. multifida, to which it appears to be closely related. It can generally be distinguished from S. multifida by its 5(–7)-lobed leaves, the lobes shallowly incised or entire, its nonpersisting, fewer basal leaves, and its more-procumbent habit. Sidalcea elegans and S. virgata in southwestern Oregon also have been confused with S. glaucescens.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 346. FNA vol. 6, p. 333.
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. 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. 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. montana
Name authority Piper: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 32: 41. (1919) Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 77. (1885)
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