Sphaeralcea ambigua
Encyclopedia
Sphaeralcea ambigua, commonly known as Desert Globemallow or Apricot Mallow, is a member of the genus
Sphaeralcea in the mallow family
(Malvaceae
).
It is a perennial shrub native to parts of California
, Nevada
, Utah
, and Arizona
in the U.S.; and Sonora
and Baja California
in Northwest Mexico
. It grows well in alkaline soil, both sandy or clay, usually in the company of creosote bush
scrub and desert chaparral habitat
s, from 150 – in elevation. It is found in the Mojave Desert
, Great Basin
deserts, and Sonoran Desert
ecoregion
s.
as a food source and medicinal plant.
by specialty plant nurseries for use in desert
and drought tolerant gardens, and a native plant
its desert region's natural landscaping
and habitat restoration projects.
Cultural Requirements
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Sphaeralcea in the mallow family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Malvaceae
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...
).
It is a perennial shrub native to parts of 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...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in the U.S.; and Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
and Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
in Northwest Mexico
Northwest Mexico
Northwest Mexico is a region of the United Mexican States, formed by the states of Durango, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur...
. It grows well in alkaline soil, both sandy or clay, usually in the company of creosote bush
Creosote bush
Larrea tridentata is known as Creosote bush as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and as "gobernadora" in Mexico, Spanish for "governess," due to its ability for inhibiting the growth of nearby plants to have more water. In Sonora, it is more commonly called "hediondilla." It is a flowering...
scrub and desert chaparral habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s, from 150 – in elevation. It is found in the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
deserts, and Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
s.
Description
The Sphaeralcea ambigua grows to 3 foot (0.9144 m) in height, and spreads to 2–3 ft (0.6096–0.9144 m) in width . The leaves are fuzzy, deeply lobed, and on long stems, the number of which increase with age. The fruit is a brown capsule containing numerous seeds. The flowers are apricot to orange in color and bloom in the spring.Varieties
Sphaeralcea ambigua has eight to nine named varieties.- They include:
- Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Gray var. ambigua
- Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Gray var. aculeata Jeps. (synonym for S. a. var. ambigua)
- Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Gray var. rosacea (Munz & I.M. Johnst.) Kearney
- Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Gray var. rugosa (Kearney) Kearney
Uses
The plant was used by members of the Shoshoni tribe of Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
as a food source and medicinal plant.
Cultivation
Sphaeralcea ambigua is cultivated as an ornamental plantOrnamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
by specialty plant nurseries for use in desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
and drought tolerant gardens, and a native plant
Native plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
its desert region's natural landscaping
Natural landscaping
.Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are indigenous to the geographic area of the garden.-Maintenance:...
and habitat restoration projects.
Cultural Requirements
- Exposure: full sun
- Water: natural rainfall; supplemental water will increasing flowering
- Soil: desert soil, tolerant of some clay, prefers good drainage
- Propagation: easy by seed; tricky by vegetative cuttings, best results from first flush of new spring growth
- Maintenance: low, periodically cut back to keep vegetative look