Sidalcea virgata
Sidalcea hirsuta
rose checkerbloom, virgate checkerbloom
hairy checkerbloom
scattered or clustered, erect, decumbent-ascending, or reclining, freely rooting proximally, solid, proximally densely stellate-hairy, hairs long, soft, tangled, often 1.5 mm, distally hirsute to subglabrous, hairs smaller and appressed.
single, erect, usually branched distally with erect branches, solid, not glaucous, proximally glabrate, distally usually softly, densely bristly-hirsute, rarely glabrescent.
basal and cauline;
stipules sometimes purplish, linear-lanceolate, 4–5(–10) × 0.5–1.5 mm;
petioles 10–20 cm on basal leaves, 3 times blade length, gradually reduced distally to 1/2 times blade length;
blades: proximalmost orbiculate or semi-orbiculate to cordate, shallowly 5–7-lobed, 2–10(–15) × 2–10(–15) cm, base cordate, apex rounded, lobe margins coarsely dentate, surfaces densely stellate-hairy abaxially, hairs often simple and appressed adaxially;
mid cauline deeply, palmately 5–7(–9)-lobed, lobes oblong, margins coarsely dentate;
distal cauline smaller, deeply divided ± to base, lobe margins often entire.
cauline;
stipules inconspicuous or deciduous, purplish, lanceolate to subulate, 3–12 × 1–2 mm;
petiole 2–7 cm, longest on proximal leaves and gradually reduced distally, proximalmost to 3 times as long as blade, reduced distally to 1/2 times or as long as blade;
blades: proximalmost early-deciduous, orbiculate, unlobed, 1–2.5 × 1–2.5 cm, base cordate, margins crenate, surfaces ± bristly, distal deeply palmately 5–7(–9)-lobed to base, 3–8 × 3–8 cm, lobes linear, margins entire, apex acute, surfaces: abaxially younger blades hirsute, older glabrous except on veins.
erect or ascending, often ± spiciform, usually open, sometimes dense, calyces usually not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in bud, unbranched or rarely 1–3-branched, 5–20(–30)-flowered, proximalmost 1 or 2 flowers usually leafy-bracted, spaced 1+ cm, elongate, slender and virgate, often 1-sided, 20–25 cm;
bracts often purplish, linear to oblanceolate, usually 2-fid, 3–6 mm, usually equaling pedicels.
erect, spiciform, dense, calyces usually overlapping, ca. 20–30-flowered, proximalmost 1 or 2 flowers in leaf axils, not elongate, not 1-sided, 2–5 cm, to 20 cm in fruit;
bracts inconspicuous or deciduous, often purplish, linear, 4–8 × to 2 mm, slightly longer than pedicels, usually 2-fid, sometimes undivided.
(2–)3–8(–15) mm;
involucellar bractlets absent.
2–3 mm;
involucellar bractlets absent.
bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;
calyx 6–12 mm, densely, finely stellate-hairy, without longer hairs, lobes green or purple-tinged;
petals pink or pinkish lavender to magenta, usually drying purple, usually pale-veined, pistillate 9–10 mm, bisexual 15–28(–30) mm;
staminal column 6–8 mm, hairy;
anthers white;
stigmas 6 or 7(or 8).
bisexual, less often unisexual and pistillate and plants gynodioecious;
calyx 8–10 mm, to 10–13 mm in fruit, prominently tawny-hirsute and densely stellate-canescent;
petals pale pink to dark rose-pink or rose-purple, often with paler veins, 13–25 mm;
stamens: filaments connate to apex, funnel-like, with rim to which unstalked anthers attach;
staminal column 6–7 mm, hairy;
anthers white;
stigmas 5 or 6.
1.5–2 mm.
1.5–2 mm.
6–7 mm diam.;
mericarps 6 or 7(or 8), 3–3.5(–4) mm, roughened, back glandular-puberulent to finely stellate, prominently reticulate-veined, pitted, mucro 0.5 mm.
8–9 mm diam.;
mericarps 5 or 6, 3–4 mm, back and sides reticulate-veined and pitted, wrinkled, ± stellate-puberulent, mucro 1 mm.
= 20, 40.
Sidalcea virgata
Sidalcea hirsuta
Sidalcea virgata was included as a subspecies within S. malviflora by C. L. Hitchcock (1957). It does have some resemblance to S. malviflora subsp. patula; the inflorescence is generally much more open, the rhizomes are not as long, and the stems are narrower and less hairy, and it tends to occur farther inland. It has been confused also with S. asprella and S. elegans, and the three appear to be closely related. Sidalcea virgata is somewhat difficult to define because it overlaps with other taxa in most of its characters, yet it has been generally accepted as distinct. Its range is well delineated but it is not always easily distinguished from sympatric species, especially in fruit. Its proximalmost flowers consistently being in the axils of well-developed leaves may be its most useful identification feature (especially in herbarium specimens). Hitchcock noted that it does not occur south of Oregon and considered it to be more geographically than morphologically distinct. It has been listed as endangered in Washington (as S. malviflora subsp. virgata); its single occurrence there needs more investigation. Sidalcea virgata is found in the Willamette Valley area and in Josephine to Yamhill counties, Oregon, and, possibly, in Thurston County, Washington.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Sidalcea hirsuta is widespread but local in central and northern California, at least from Merced to southern Shasta counties and is sometimes locally common. The dense, terminal, spiciform inflorescences combined with the relatively small bracts and distally hirsute stems are distinctive; the lack of stalked anthers also helps to distinguish it from S. hartwegii.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
CA
