Sidalcea malviflora subsp. laciniata

C. L. Hitchcock

Perenn. Sp. Sidalcea, 29. 1957.

Common names: Geranium-leaved checkerbloom
Endemic
Synonyms: Sidalcea malviflora var. sancta C. L. Hitchcock S. scabra
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 6. Treatment on page 343. Mentioned on page 341, 342, 344.

Plants 0.2–0.8 (–1.1) m, with fibrous-woody taproot and often short rootstocks or compact rhizomes. Stems erect to ascending, base decumbent, often rooting, short-hirsute and/or stellate-hairy or glabrous proximally, usually more sparsely, softly stellate-hairy distally. Leaves basal and cauline, proximal clustered, distal well-spaced; stipules ovate to lanceolate, 5–12 × 1.5–3 (–5) mm; petioles of basal leaves 15–20 (–25) cm, proximalmost often 8–9 times as long as blade, much reduced distally to 1/2 times as long as blade; blade 2–7 cm wide, surfaces usually sparsely stellate-hairy or hirsute, more densely so abaxially; basal rounded to reniform, usually shallowly 7-lobed, margins crenate, distal reniform, deeply, ternately lobed and dissected, lobes wide-linear, 1–2 mm wide, total segments usually 13+. Inflorescences dense, becoming open and elongate, usually unbranched, often 20+-flowered, 15+ cm in age, proximal flowers and fruits spaced 1+ cm apart; proximal bracts leaflike, dissected to base, shorter than pedicels, distal bracts linear to ovate, undivided or 2-fid, (2–) 4–5 mm, longer than pedicels. Pedicels 5–15 (–30) mm on proximalmost flowers, distal pedicels 2–5 mm. Flowers: calyx 7–11 mm, sparsely stellate-puberulent and bristly, marginal and vein hairs longest; petals usually light pink to dark rose, rarely white, usually conspicuously pale-veined especially when dried, pistillate darker, 9–15 mm, bisexual (12–) 15–25 mm; staminal column 6–7 mm; anthers white to pale-yellow; stigmas (6 or) 7 or 8 (or -9). Schizocarps 5–7 mm diam.; mericarps (6 or) 7 or 8 (or 9), 2.5–3.5 mm, glandularpuberulent, usually prominently reticulate-veined-pitted, mucro 0.5 mm. Seeds 2–3 mm. 2n = 20, 40.


Phenology: Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jun.
Habitat: Grasslands, open foothill woodlands, sometimes serpentine
Elevation: 0–700 m

Discussion

Subspecies laciniata is the most commonly found component of Sidalcea malviflora. It can be distinguished from most of the other subspecies by its deeply incised

leaves with deeply incised lobes. This difference appears to be the only one between it and subsp. malviflora, and they intergrade. In the southern part of its range, subsp. laciniata appears to intergrade with subsp. californica and with S. sparsifolia. C. L. Hitchcock (1957) distinguished the southern plants as var. sancta, with 2n = 20, stating that both varieties pass imperceptibly into one another. Plants in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties are difficult to determine. Subspecies laciniata is found in the southern North Coast Ranges and central western California, from Lake to San Luis Obispo counties; it is most common in the San Francisco Bay area on foothills.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"elongated" is not a number.

white +  and pale-yellow +
rounded +
Steven R. Hill +
C. L. Hitchcock +
7-lobed +, rounded +  and reniform +
stellate-hairy +, glabrous +  and short-hirsute +
cordate +
Sida malviflora +
asymmetric +  and symmetric +
dissected +, lobed +  and unlobed +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
pistillate +  and pale-veined +
overlapping +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
bright pink +  and lavender or dark rose-purple +
bristly +  and stellate-puberulent +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
Geranium-leaved checkerbloom +
dissected;lobed;reniform +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
linear;ovate undivided or 2-fid +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
sparsely hairy;glabrate +
0–700 m +
sparse;copious +
pistillate +  and staminate +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
Grasslands, open foothill woodlands, sometimes serpentine +
forked +  and stellate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
20+-flowered +, unbranched +  and open +
ascending +  and erect +
axillary +  and terminal +
tough-fibrous +
connate +  and distinct +
simple +, stipulate +, sessile +, subsessile +  and petiolate +
distichous +  and alternate +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
0-1/2-2 times as long as blade +  and 3-9 times as long as blades +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
cauline +  and basal +
lobed +  and dissected +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
crenate-serrate +  and dentate +
glabrous +, glandular +, stellate-puberulent +  and hirtellous +
wedge--shaped +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
5-9-lobed +  and unlobed +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (?) +
3-40-carpellate +
(1-)2-many +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
pistillate +  and pale-veined +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
darker;white;usually light pink;dark rose +
adnate +  and distinct +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jun. +
apart +  and spaced +
apart +  and spaced +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
lobed +, unlobed +, reniform +  and orbiculate +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
0-1/2 times as long as blade +  and 8-9 times as long as blade +
Perenn. Sp. Sidalcea, +
not cordlike +
5mm +  and 7mm +
hairy +  and glabrous +
reniform +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +
persistent +
reticulate-veined +
honeycomb-pitted +
sessile +  and subsessile +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
solid +, branched +, unbranched +  and rooting +
scattered +  and clustered +
erect;ascending +
glabrescent +, stellate-hairy +  and hirsute +
8 +  and 7 +
filiform +, linear +  and capitate +
1-2 times number of carpels +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
purplish +  and green +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
hairy +  and ciliate +
ovate +  and lanceolate +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
unbranched +  and branched +
hirsute +  and stellate-hairy +
Sidalcea malviflora var. sancta +  and S. scabra +
fibrous-woody +
Sidalcea malviflora subsp. laciniata +
Sidalcea malviflora +
subspecies +
80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br /> (110 cm1,100 mm <br />1.1 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
monoecious +, dioecious +  and hermaphroditic +