Sidalcea malviflora subsp. purpurea

C. L. Hitchcock

Perenn. Sp. Sidalcea, 23. 1957.

Common names: Purple checkerbloom
Conservation concernEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 6. Treatment on page 344. Mentioned on page 341, 345.

Plants purple tinted, 0.2–0.6 m, with thick, rather woody taproot, roots often ± fleshy, with compact, rhizomelike stem-bases. Stems decumbent or prostrate to ascending, base often rooting, glabrous or short stellate-hairy or sparsely bristly. Leaves mostly cauline; stipules purplish, oblong to ovatelanceolate or ovate, 3–8 × 1–2.5 mm; proximalmost petiole 5–8 (–15) cm, 3–4 times as long as blade, reduced distally to 1/2 times as long as blade, distalmost leaves subsessile; cauline blades 1.5–3 (–4) cm wide, proximalmost reniform, unlobed, 1–2 (–2.5) cm wide, subcordate to cuneate-based distally, margins usually coarsely crenate, surfaces sparsely short-hirsute to subglabrate, distal usually unlobed, rarely very shallowly 7–9-lobed. Inflorescences open, branched or not, calyces not overlapping except sometimes in bud, not congested in fruit, usually 2–10-flowered, 7–15 cm, elongated in age, 2–5 flowers usually open at same time, proximal flowers in axils of reduced leaves; bracts lanceolate to ovate, usually 2-fid or deeply 2-lobed, distal usually 2-fid, proximal separated to base and often with leaf remnant between, 3–4 mm, usually equaling to much shorter than pedicels, much shorter than calyx. Pedicels sometimes recurved, (2–) 3–10 (–30) mm. Flowers: calyx purplish, 7–11 mm, sparsely stellate-puberulent with some coarser bristles; petals bright pinkish rose, pale-veined, pistillate 8–11 mm, bisexual 11–19 (–25) mm; staminal column 4–5 mm; anthers white; stigmas 6–8. Schizocarps 4–5 mm diam.; mericarps 6–8, 3–3.5 mm, sparsely glandularpuberulent on top and back, prominently reticulate-veined-pitted, mucro 0.5 mm. Seeds 1.5–2 mm. 2n = 20.


Phenology: Flowering (Mar–)Apr–May(–Jul).
Habitat: Open coastal forests, coastal prairies, meadows
Elevation: 0–30 m

Discussion

Subspecies purpurea is one of the more easily recognized taxa in Sidalcea because of the purplish tint to vegetative parts, the delicate, dwarfed to prostrate habit, the limited indument, and the relatively few and small leaves and flowers. Its range is the north-central California coast in Marin, southern Mendocino, San Mateo, and northern Sonoma counties. There are some transitions to subsp. rostrata which is overall more robust and very bristly-hairy with larger, more numerous, congested flowers on shorter, thicker pedicels. Subspecies purpurea has been confused with Sidalcea hickmanii, which is more inland and has two or three involucellar bractlets attached to the base of the calyx.

Of conservation concern.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"elongated" is not a number."elongated" is not a number.

rounded +
Steven R. Hill +
C. L. Hitchcock +
bristly +, stellate-hairy +, short +  and glabrous +
cordate +
Sida malviflora +
asymmetric +  and symmetric +
dissected +, lobed +  and unlobed +
2-fid +, lanceolate +  and ovate usually 2-fid or deeply 2-lobed +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
2-10-flowered +
not 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 +
stellate-puberulent +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
Purple checkerbloom +
7-9-lobed;unlobed +
sparsely hairy;glabrate +
0–30 m +
sparse;copious +
pistillate +  and staminate +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
Open coastal forests, coastal prairies, meadows +
forked +  and stellate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
not +, branched +  and open +
ascending +  and erect +
axillary +  and terminal +
tough-fibrous +
connate +  and distinct +
simple +, stipulate +, sessile +, subsessile +  and petiolate +
distichous +  and alternate +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
0-1/2-2 times as long as blade +  and 3-9 times as long as blades +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
lobed +  and dissected +
crenate-serrate +  and dentate +
glabrous +, glandular +, stellate-puberulent +  and hirtellous +
wedge--shaped +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 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 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
pistillate +  and pale-veined +
1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
rose;bright pinkish +
adnate +  and distinct +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br />) +
Flowering (Mar–)Apr–May(–Jul). +
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 />) +
subcordate +, unlobed +  and reniform +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
0-1/2 times as long as blade +  and 3-4 times as long as blade +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
Perenn. Sp. Sidalcea, +
not cordlike +
4mm +  and 5mm +
hairy +  and glabrous +
reniform +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +
persistent +
reticulate-veined +
honeycomb-pitted +
Conservation concern +  and Endemic +
sessile +  and subsessile +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
solid +, branched +, unbranched +  and rooting +
scattered +  and clustered +
prostrate to ascending +  and decumbent +
erect;ascending or decumbent +
glabrescent +, stellate-hairy +  and hirsute +
6 +  and 8 +
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 />) +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
hairy +  and ciliate +
oblong +  and ovatelanceolate or ovate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
unbranched +  and branched +
sparsely short-hirsute +  and subglabrate +
Nuttallia malviflora +
Sidalcea malviflora subsp. purpurea +
Sidalcea malviflora +
subspecies +
60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 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 +