Sphaeralcea rusbyi
Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 293. 1887.
Plants perennial. Stems erect, gray-green to purple, 3–6 dm, sparsely pubescent. Leaf blades light green, sometimes with purple margins, triangular to broadly ovate, pedately divided or 3–5-lobed, 1.5–5 cm, not rugose, base truncate to cordate, margins entire, surfaces sparsely stellate-pubescent. Inflorescences paniculate, crowded, few-flowered per node, tip ± leafy; involucellar bractlets red to purple. Flowers: sepals sometimes red or purple, 6–15 mm, lobes equaling to 3 times tube length; petals red-orange, 10–20 mm; anthers usually red to purple, sometimes yellow. Schizocarps truncate-spheric; mericarps 13, 4.5–6 × 2–2.5 mm, chartaceous, nonreticulate dehiscent part 55–80% of height, tip acute, indehiscent part not wider than dehiscent part. Seeds 1 or 2 per mericarp, black-gray, glabrous or pubescent.
Distribution
Ariz., Calif., Utah
Discussion
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Selected References
None.
Key
| 1 | Sepals 6–10 mm, lobes deltate; calyx length ± equaling fruit. | Sphaeralcea rusbyi var. rusbyi |
| 1 | Sepals 13–15 mm, lobes elongate; calyx length 2 times fruit. | Sphaeralcea rusbyi var. eremicola |