Plant Name
Scientific Name: Sphaeralcea angustifolia
Synonyms: Phymosia cuspidata, Sphaeralcea cuspidata, S. emoryi ssp. nevadensis, S. emoryi var. nevadensis
Common Names: Copper Globemallow, Narrowleaf Globemallow, Narrowleaf Desertmallow
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Subshrub, Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland. This wildflower grows in sunny, open areas in deserts, grasslands, and open woodlands.
Flower Color: Orange, Red, Pink to peach or lavender-pink
Flowering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall. This plant blooms anytime there is sufficient rainfall during the warm months of the year.
Height: Up to 40 inches (1 m) tall
Description: The short-stemmed, 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide flowers emerge from the leaf axils and have 5 broad, cupped petals and yellow anthers. The flowers are followed by pumpkin-shaped schizocarps (fruit) with 9 to 17 mericarps (segments), each containing 2 seeds. The leaves are light grayish green, alternate, hairy, variably toothed, scalloped, or smooth-edged, sometimes angularly lobed near the base, linear-lanceolate in shape, and distinctively narrow (less than 1/3 wide as long). The stems are erect and covered in star-shaped hairs like the rest of the plant.
No other, similar Sphaeralcea species found here has such relatively narrow leaves.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Dilleniidae
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae – Mallow family
Genus: Sphaeralcea A. St.-Hil. – globemallow
Species: Sphaeralcea angustifolia (Cav.) G. Don – copper globemallow
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