| Desert mallow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Desert mallow Sphaeralcea fulva | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Sphaeralcea |
| Species: | S. fulva |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphaeralcea fulva | |
Sphaeralcea fulva, commonly known as desert mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to northwestern Mexico. [1] [2]
Sphaeralcea fulva is a perennial shrub which grows to 2–4 feet (0.61–1.22 m) high. It was described by Greene as growing erect and stout, sparingly branching, suffrutescent, and covered with a yellowish stellate pubescence. Leaves are small, triangular-lanceolate in shape, thick and firm in texture, and coarsely toothed. The calyx is cleft below the middle into triangular acute segments. The corolla is 3⁄4 inch (1.9 cm) long, light scarlet in color. [3]
Sphaeralcea fulva was first formally described by American botanist Edward Lee Greene in his first volume of Pittonia, published in 1889. [3] It was one of several species described from types from Albert Kellogg's unpublished work. [4]
In Isla Natividad, it was observed to be common in canyons and canyon bottoms in the northern portion of the island. [5] It has also been described as growing in clay soil. [3]