Sidalcea calycosa
Encyclopedia
Sidalcea calycosa is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family
known by the common name annual checkerbloom. It is endemic to California
, where it grows in wetland
habitat of many kinds along the North Coast, the adjacent North Coast Ranges as far south as the San Francisco Bay Area
, and in sections of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Habitat types include marsh
es and vernal pool
s. This is a rhizomatous herb growing 30 centimeters to nearly a meter tall. Despite its common name it may be annual or perennial, depending on subspecies. The leaves have blades deeply divided into narrow linear lobes, almost divided into leaflets. The inflorescence
is a dense, showy panicle
of several flowers each with five pink, purplish, or white petals up to 2.5 centimeters long.
There are two subspecies of this plant. The perennial subspecies, ssp. rhizomata (Point Reyes checkerbloom), is rare, known only from a few swampy areas of the coastline between Mendocino
and Marin Counties
.
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
known by the common name annual checkerbloom. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
habitat of many kinds along the North Coast, the adjacent North Coast Ranges as far south as the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, and in sections of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Habitat types include marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es and vernal pool
Vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species...
s. This is a rhizomatous herb growing 30 centimeters to nearly a meter tall. Despite its common name it may be annual or perennial, depending on subspecies. The leaves have blades deeply divided into narrow linear lobes, almost divided into leaflets. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a dense, showy panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
of several flowers each with five pink, purplish, or white petals up to 2.5 centimeters long.
There are two subspecies of this plant. The perennial subspecies, ssp. rhizomata (Point Reyes checkerbloom), is rare, known only from a few swampy areas of the coastline between Mendocino
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
and Marin Counties
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
.