Eremalche rotundifolia

(A. Gray) Greene

Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1: 208. 1906.

Common names: Desert five-spot
Illustrated
Basionym: Malvastrum rotundifolium A. Gray Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts. 7: 333. 1868
Synonyms: Sphaeralcea rotundifolia (A. Gray) Jepson
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 6. Treatment on page 247.

Plants erect; main-stem unbranched or branched from base, spotted or flushed purple-maroon, 8–30 (–60) cm, sparsely or densely hairy, hairs mostly simple, bristly, to 3 mm. Leaf-blades unlobed, 1.5–6 cm, margins crenate-dentate. Inflorescences usually exceeding leaves. Pedicels 1.5–8 cm; involucellar bractlets filiform, 6–10 mm. Flowers: calyx 9–14 mm, lobes 5.5–11 × 3.5–7 mm; petals rose-pink to lilac, magenta-spotted at base, (15–) 20–30 mm, exceeding calyx. Mericarps 25–36, black, waferlike edges acute, reticulate, 2.8–3.5 mm. 2n = 20.


Phenology: Flowering mid winter–late spring.
Habitat: Dry desert scrub
Elevation: ?50–1200 m

Distribution

V6 446-distribution-map.jpg

Ariz., Calif., Nev., Utah, Mexico (Baja California), Mexico (Sonora)

Discussion

Eremalche rotundifolia is morphologically and perhaps generically distinct from the other species of Eremalche; it occurs widely in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts and in Death Valley.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Eremalche rotundifolia"
David M. Bates +, Malvastrum A. Gray subsect. Pedunculosa A. Gray in A. Gray et al. +, Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(1 +  and 2): 308. 1897 +
(A. Gray) Greene +
truncate +  and cordate +
Malvastrum rotundifolium +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
palmately +, unlobed +  and reniform-round +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
lobed +  and not inflated +
not accrescent +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
Desert five-spot +
white +  and rose lavender or mauve drying purple or blue +
campanulate +
Ariz. +, Calif. +, Nev. +, Utah +, Mexico (Baja California) +  and Mexico (Sonora) +
reticulate +  and corrugate +
acute +  and waferlike +
?50–1200 m +
sparse;copious +
pistillate +  and staminate +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
Dry desert scrub +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
tough-fibrous +
connate +  and distinct +
simple +, stipulate +, sessile +, subsessile +  and petiolate +
distichous +  and alternate +
acuminate +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
branched +  and unbranched +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
flushed purple-maroon +  and spotted +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
unarmed +  and 1-celled +
9-36-carpellate +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
magenta-spotted;rose-pink;lilac +
adnate +  and distinct +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
Flowering mid winter–late spring. +
Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. +
obovoid-reniform +
persistent +
Illustrated +
sessile +  and subsessile +
prostrate;erect +
filiform +, linear +  and capitate +
1-2 times number of carpels +
9-36-branched +
Sphaeralcea rotundifolia +
Eremalche rotundifolia +
Eremalche +
species +