Sphaeralcea moorei

Plants perennial. Stems erect, red-purple basally, 3–8 dm, stellate-canescent. Leaf blades green, ovate to deltate, 3- or 5-lobed, digitate, spatulate, secondary divisions of lobes frequent, basal lobes frequently not divided, 1–4(–7) cm, not rugose, base truncate or cuneate, margins entire, surfaces gray-green stellate-canescent. Inflorescences paniculate, open, 1–few-flowered, very few-leaved, tip not leafy; involucellar bractlets green to red-purple. Flowers: sepals 4.5–8.5 mm; petals red-orange, 8–15 mm; anthers yellow. Schizocarps hemispheric; mericarps 10(–14), 3–5 × 2 mm, chartaceous, nonreticulate dehiscent part 50% of height, tip rounded to acute, indehiscent part wider than dehiscent part, sides reticulate. Seeds 2 per mericarp, brown to black, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Phenology: Flowering May–July.
Habitat: Sandy soil, riparian
Elevation: 800–1900 m

Utah.

Discussion

Sphaeralcea moorei intergrades with S. grossulariifolia and has similarities to S. parvifolia. See under 11. S. grossulariifolia for discussion.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa