Sidalcea pedata

A. Gray

Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 288. 1887.

Common names: Bird-foot checkerbloom
Conservation concernEndemic
Synonyms: Sidalcea spicata var. pedata (A. Gray) Jepson
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 6. Treatment on page 351. Mentioned on page 323, 343, 352.

Herbs, perennial, much of plant often tinted reddish purple, 0.2–0.4 m, not glaucous, with fleshy, simple to branched taproot, without rhizomelike rootstocks. Stems clustered, erect to slightly ascending, base erect to decumbent-ascending, usually unbranched, (plants nearly scapose), solid, long-bristly with hairs often 2 mm, sometimes also stellate-hairy near base, usually becoming finely hispid distally. Leaves mostly basal, cauline 1–3; stipules lanceolate, 3–5 × 1 mm; petiole 6–9 cm, basal 2 times blade length, cauline 1/2 times blade length; blade usually orbiculate, 2–5 (–6) × 2–5 (–6) cm, base cordate, apex rounded, basal deeply dissected into 3–7 primary lobes, each less deeply incised and somewhat ternate, ultimate segments linear to oblongelliptic, margins entire, distal blades repeatedly dissected with linear segments, surfaces densely hirtellous and stellate-hairy abaxially, less hairy with mostly simple hairs adaxially. Inflorescences erect or ascending, spiciform, initially dense, later open, calyces not conspicuously overlapping except sometimes in fruit, usually unbranched, usually 20+-flowered, proximal flowers remotely, evenly spaced, elongated in fruit, often 1-sided if ascending and not 1-sided when strictly erect, 15–30 (–40) cm, elongating with fruits spaced, axis often wine-red; bracts linear, usually undivided, 2.5–4 mm, usually ± equaling or longer than pedicels. Pedicels 1–2 (–3) mm; involucellar bractlets absent. Flowers bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, similar in size, plants gynodioecious; calyx usually wine-red, 4–5 (–7) mm, usually not accrescent, finely stellate-puberulent, marginal hairs longer and often simple; petals dark rose-pink, sometimes pale-veined, 7–10 (–12) mm; staminal column 3–5 mm, sparsely hairy; anthers white; stigmas 5–8. Schizocarps 5 mm diam.; mericarps 5–8, somewhat inflated, 2.5 mm, glabrous, smooth, back lightly grooved, not reticulate-veined or pitted, mucro 0.2–0.3 mm. Seeds 2 mm. 2n = 20.


Phenology: Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat: Moist meadows, open woodlands
Elevation: (1500–)1600–2500 m

Discussion

Sidalcea pedata is known from Bear Valley and Bluff Lake in San Bernardino County. It is generally easily distinguished by its relatively small flowers, its stature, its wine-red inflorescence axis, calyx, and buds, its fleshy taproot and lack of rhizomes, and its dense basal cluster of palmately dissected leaves. It is threatened by development, vehicles, and grazing, and has been listed as endangered in California and also federally.

Of conservation concern.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"elongating" is not a number."/2timesbladelength" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."elongated" is not a number.

... more about "Sidalcea pedata"
incised;dissected;rounded +
Steven R. Hill +
A. Gray +
solid +  and unbranched +
erect +  and decumbent-ascending +
hispid +, stellate-hairy +  and long-bristly +
cordate +
asymmetric +  and symmetric +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
orbiculate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
usually more or less equaling or longer +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
20+-flowered +  and unbranched +
overlapping +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
stellate-puberulent +
accrescent +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
Bird-foot checkerbloom +
(1500–)1600–2500 m +
sparse;copious +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
Moist meadows, open woodlands +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
open +  and spiciform +
ascending +  and erect +
axillary +  and terminal +
tough-fibrous +
connate +  and distinct +
simple +, stipulate +, sessile +, subsessile +  and petiolate +
distichous +  and alternate +
not reticulate-veined +  and grooved +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (?) +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
3-40-carpellate +
(1-)2-many +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
dark rose-pink +
adnate +  and distinct +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
cauline +  and basal +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
Flowering May–Aug. +
Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts +
hairy +  and glabrous +
reniform +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
persistent +
Conservation concern +  and Endemic +
sessile +  and subsessile +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
erect;slightly ascending +
5 +  and 8 +
filiform +, linear +  and capitate +
1-2 times number of carpels +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
lanceolate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
unbranched +  and branched +
hairy +, stellate-hairy +  and hirtellous +
Sidalcea spicata var. pedata +
simple +  and branched +
Sidalcea pedata +
Sidalcea +
species +
plant +  and herb +