Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua)

Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua)
Perennial Forbs Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas

	General: Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) is an upright subshrub (doesn't really produce woody tissue) with many upright stems arising from the base. The leaves are pale greenish, 3-lobed, crinkled, and covered with dense, fine gray hairs. In spring, many orange, globe-shaped flowers are produced. Desert Globemallow is a common component of desert scrub communities on flats and bajadas in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zones. At higher elevations, it is less common. Around Las Vegas, look for Desert Globemallow at Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Mojave National Preserve, and on the Desert National Wildlife Range.
	Family: Mallow (Malvaceae). Other Names: Apricot Mallow. Plant Form: Many upright branches from the base. Height: To 3- 4 feet.
	Stems: Upright, many stems from base. Stems covered with dense, fine gray hairs (canescent). Leaves: About 1-2 inches long, triangular, 3-lobes, wavy. Leaves covered with dense, fine gray hairs (canescent). Flowers: Inflorescence: flowers arise along upper stems. Flower orange (apricot), radial; petals 5; stamens many, pistil 1. Petals overlap to form a globe-shaped flower. Seeds: Fruit segmented, two seeds per segment.
	Habitat: Desert scrub. Elevation: About 500 to 8,000 feet. Distribution: Southwestern U.S. including California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Comments:
	Inconspicuous most of the year, desert globemallow covers the desert with orange flowers during the spring bloom.
	Top of leaf. Leaves are 1-2 inches long, triangular, 3-lobed, wavy, and covered with dense, fine gray hairs.
	Bottom of leaf. Note aphids hiding under the leaf.
	Flowers are orange and radial, with a clump of stamens in the center.
	Note that the sepals, like the rest of the plant, are covered with dense, fine hairs.

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Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
© Jim Boone; Last updated 100616

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