SPHAERALCEASPHAERALCEA:: A DIFFICULT GENUS WITH WEAK A DIFFICULT GENUS WITH WEAK

DISTINCTIONSDISTINCTIONS

~40 species worldwide ~40 species worldwide ●●15 species in Intermountain Region15 species in Intermountain Region

Need to add “S.” before names; ensure that symbols come across;Italicize scientific names;consistently omit authors

Species in UtahSpecies in Utah

• 4 species fairly widespread– S. coccinea– S. grossulariifolia– S. munroana– S. parvifolia

• 4 species restricted to a single county

• 6 species endemic to Utah

DifficultiesDifficulties

• Weak character differences between species

• Polyploidy and hybridization

Generic CharacteristicsGeneric Characteristics

• Herbs or shrubs• Stellate pubescence• Leaves entire to deeply dissected or compound• Inflorescence of solitary flowers, racemes,

thyrsoid, panicles• Flowers red-orange, lavender, yellow, or rarely

white• Fruit a schizocarp with several to many

mericarps

Species Identification (1)Species Identification (1)• Leaves

– Shallowly or deeply lobed– Length to width ratio

• Pubescence– Density– Coarse or delicate– Rays slender or not– 2 or 3-dimensional

Species identification (2)Species identification (2)

• Inflorescence– Thyrsoid– Paniculate– Racemose– Number of flowers/node

• Calyx– Length– Lobe length– Overall shape

• Flowers– Petal length

LeavesLeaves

• Not or shallowly lobed • Deeply lobed

InflorescenceInflorescence• Thyrsoid/ paniculate:

flowers attached in a cluster at the nodes

• Racemose: 1(2,3) flowers/node, all attached directly to main stem

4 commonly confused species4 commonly confused species

• S. coccinea

• S. grossulariifolia

• S. munroana

• S. parvifolia

Key to Common SpeciesKey to Common Species

• Leaves entire or shallowly lobed

1. Leaves densely pubescent, relatively thick, margins weakly crenulate - S. parvifolia

2. Leaves moderately pubescent (greenish), relatively thin, margins coarsely and irregularly crenulate

- S. munroana

• Leaves deeply lobed1. Inflorescence thyrsoid or

paniculate with 2+ flowers/node; mericarps higher than wide

– S. grossulariifolia1. Inflorescence racemose

with 1(2,3) flowers/node; mericarps nearly as high as wide – S. coccinea

Sphaeralcea parvifloraSphaeralcea parviflora

• Perennial from a thick crown or woody, short branched caudex; typically with multiple, erect to ascending stems and usually short-branched.

• Herbage gray-green, moderately to densely pubescent; stellate hairs in multiple planes.

LeavesLeaves cauline; cauline; petiole 1.5-4(6)cm; petiole 1.5-4(6)cm; blade thickish, about blade thickish, about as wide as long, as wide as long, deltate-ovate to deltate-ovate to suborbicular, suborbicular, sometimes sometimes shallowly 3-5 lobed, shallowly 3-5 lobed, palmately veined, palmately veined, veins prominent veins prominent beneath, slightly beneath, slightly channeled above.channeled above.

InflorescenceInflorescence relatively relatively narrowly thyrsoid-narrowly thyrsoid-glomerate; pedicels 2-glomerate; pedicels 2-10 mm, ascending; 10 mm, ascending; calyx 5-8(9) mm, lobes calyx 5-8(9) mm, lobes ovate, obtuse, densely ovate, obtuse, densely pubescent; petals 2-10 pubescent; petals 2-10 mm, orange-red; mm, orange-red; staminal column 3-5.5 staminal column 3-5.5 mm, glabrous, anthers mm, glabrous, anthers apical; styles capitate.apical; styles capitate.

SchizocarpSchizocarp of about 10 of about 10 mericarps forming a mericarps forming a ring 4-5.5 mm in ring 4-5.5 mm in diameter; mericarps 2-diameter; mericarps 2-seeded, 2.8-4 mm seeded, 2.8-4 mm high, 2-2.3 mm wide, high, 2-2.3 mm wide, pubescent on back pubescent on back and margins. and margins. Seeds Seeds 1.7-2 mm long, 1.7-2 mm long, reniform, dark brown reniform, dark brown to black, patches of to black, patches of minute hairs.minute hairs.

Washes, roadsides, and Washes, roadsides, and among greasewood, among greasewood, blackbrush, sagebrush blackbrush, sagebrush and juniper and juniper communities. 750-2450 communities. 750-2450 m. m. Southern and lower Southern and lower elevation counterpart to elevation counterpart to S. munroanaS. munroana. The . The confluent leaf blades confluent leaf blades seem to be diagnostic seem to be diagnostic for most specimens of for most specimens of this species.this species.

Sphaeralcea munroanaSphaeralcea munroana

• Perennial from a thick crown or woody, short branched caudex; typically multiple erect to ascending stems, unbranched or often short-branched.

• Herbage green, moderately to sparsely pubescent; stellate rays in three planes.

LeavesLeaves cauline; cauline; petiole 1.5-4.5(5.5)cm; petiole 1.5-4.5(5.5)cm; blade thin, about as blade thin, about as wide as long, deltate-wide as long, deltate-ovate, often ovate, often moderately 3-5 lobed, moderately 3-5 lobed, lobes rounded or lobes rounded or obtuse, palmately obtuse, palmately veined, veins not as veined, veins not as prominent beneath.prominent beneath.

InflorescenceInflorescence relatively relatively narrowly thyrsoid-narrowly thyrsoid-glomerate; pedicels glomerate; pedicels stout, shorter than the stout, shorter than the calyx; calyx 4.7-7 mm, calyx; calyx 4.7-7 mm, lobes ovate, acute, lobes ovate, acute, densely pubescent; densely pubescent; petals 8-14(18) mm, petals 8-14(18) mm, grenadine; staminal grenadine; staminal column 4.5-5.7 mm, column 4.5-5.7 mm, glabrous to sparsely glabrous to sparsely pubescent, anthers pubescent, anthers apical; styles capitate.apical; styles capitate.

SchizocarpsSchizocarps of 10-12 of 10-12 mericarps forming a mericarps forming a ring 4-5.2 mm in ring 4-5.2 mm in diameter; mericarps diameter; mericarps 1(2)-seeded, 2-3 mm 1(2)-seeded, 2-3 mm high, 1.8-2.5 mm wide, high, 1.8-2.5 mm wide, apically pubescent on apically pubescent on back and margins. back and margins. SeedsSeeds about 1.7 mm about 1.7 mm long, reniform, dark long, reniform, dark brown, minutely brown, minutely pubescent.pubescent.

Deserts, valleys and Deserts, valleys and foothills among foothills among rabbitbrush and rabbitbrush and sagebrush communities. sagebrush communities. 640-2400 m. 640-2400 m. Difficult to distinguish from Difficult to distinguish from S. parvifloraS. parviflora. . S. munroana var. S. munroana var. subrhomboideasubrhomboidea has 3 has 3 distinct lobes reaching distinct lobes reaching almost halfway to the almost halfway to the base is found along the base is found along the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mts. Wasatch and Oquirrh Mts. and North into Southern and North into Southern Idaho.Idaho.

Sphaeralcea grossulariifoliaSphaeralcea grossulariifolia

• Perennial from a thick crown or woody, short branched caudex; typically multiple erect to ascending stems, unbranched or often short-branched.

• Herbage greenish, moderately to sparsely pubescent on leaves, densely pubescent on stems; stellate hairs in three planes, often with appressed rays on stems.

LeavesLeaves cauline; petiole cauline; petiole (1)1.5-5(7)cm; blade (1)1.5-5(7)cm; blade more or less thin, more or less thin, about as wide as long, about as wide as long, deltate or broadly deltate or broadly ovate in outline, 3-5 ovate in outline, 3-5 lobed sometime lobed sometime appearing 3-foliate, appearing 3-foliate, lobes with deeply cleft lobes with deeply cleft lateral lobes, lateral lateral lobes, lateral lobes asymmetrical, lobes asymmetrical, >10 mm wide, >10 mm wide, palmately veined, veins palmately veined, veins prominent beneath.prominent beneath.

InflorescenceInflorescence relatively relatively narrowly thyrsoid-narrowly thyrsoid-glomerate; pedicels stout, glomerate; pedicels stout, shorter than the calyx, shorter than the calyx, sometimes longer at the sometimes longer at the lower nodes; calyx 5-11 lower nodes; calyx 5-11 mm, lobes ovate to mm, lobes ovate to lanceolate, acute; petals lanceolate, acute; petals 11-22 mm, grenadine; 11-22 mm, grenadine; staminal column 4-6 mm, staminal column 4-6 mm, glabrous or stellate glabrous or stellate pubescent, anthers apical; pubescent, anthers apical; styles capitate.styles capitate.

SchizocarpSchizocarp of 10-12 of 10-12 mericarps forming a mericarps forming a ring 4.5-6.5 mm in ring 4.5-6.5 mm in diameter; mericarps diameter; mericarps 1(2)-seeded, 2.5-1(2)-seeded, 2.5-3.5(4) mm high, 2-3 3.5(4) mm high, 2-3 mm wide, pubescent mm wide, pubescent on dorsal and apical on dorsal and apical surfaces. surfaces. SeedsSeeds about about 2 mm long, reniform, 2 mm long, reniform, dark brown, minutely dark brown, minutely puberulent.puberulent.

Deserts, valleys and Deserts, valleys and foothills among foothills among blackbrush, greasewood, blackbrush, greasewood, shadscale, rabbitbrush shadscale, rabbitbrush and sagebrush and sagebrush vegetation. 800-2300 m. vegetation. 800-2300 m. A complex species with A complex species with great variation in the great variation in the dissection of the leaves. dissection of the leaves. Much of the variation Much of the variation likely comes from likely comes from introgression with other introgression with other species. It appears to be species. It appears to be less common in the less common in the Southern portions of its Southern portions of its range.range.

Sphaeralcea coccineaSphaeralcea coccinea

• Perennial from a woody, branched caudex, surmounting deep-seated running roots, often forming colonies; stems several to many, decumbent or ascending, unbranched or with short, often poorly developed branch.

• Herbage grayish-green, stellately pubescent, rays angled away from the surface.

LeavesLeaves cauline; petiole cauline; petiole 1-2.5(4)cm; blade, 1-2.5(4)cm; blade, wider than long, wider than long, broadly ovate to broadly ovate to orbicular in outline, orbicular in outline, pedately 3-foliate, pedately 3-foliate, lower lateral lobes lower lateral lobes deeply divided, lower deeply divided, lower segments imparting a segments imparting a 5-foliate appearance, 5-foliate appearance, mid lobe ternate to mid lobe ternate to pinnatifid.pinnatifid.

InflorescenceInflorescence: lower flowers : lower flowers solitary in leaf axils and a solitary in leaf axils and a bracteate raceme above with bracteate raceme above with 1 flower per node, barely 1 flower per node, barely elongating in fruit; pedicels 2-elongating in fruit; pedicels 2-10 mm, relatively stout at 10 mm, relatively stout at maturity, ascending; calyx maturity, ascending; calyx (5)6-9.5 mm, lobes triangular-(5)6-9.5 mm, lobes triangular-ovate, acute; petals 10-16ovate, acute; petals 10-16(20) mm, deep orange to (20) mm, deep orange to reddish-orange; staminal reddish-orange; staminal column 3-5 mm, sparsely column 3-5 mm, sparsely stellate pubescent, anthers stellate pubescent, anthers apical; styles capitate.apical; styles capitate.

SchizocarpSchizocarp of 10-14 of 10-14 mericarps forming a mericarps forming a ring 4.8-6.7 mm in ring 4.8-6.7 mm in diameter; mericarps diameter; mericarps 1(2)-seeded, 2-2.6(4) 1(2)-seeded, 2-2.6(4) mm high, 2.4-3 mm mm high, 2.4-3 mm wide, rounded wide, rounded dorsally, densely dorsally, densely pubescent on pubescent on dorsally. dorsally. SeedsSeeds about about 2 mm long, reniform, 2 mm long, reniform, dark brown to black.dark brown to black.

Sandy and gravelly soils Sandy and gravelly soils in greasewood, in greasewood, shadscale, sagebrush, shadscale, sagebrush, pinyon-juniper and pinyon-juniper and Gambel oak communities. Gambel oak communities. (1000)1375-2750 m. (1000)1375-2750 m. The somewhat smaller The somewhat smaller stature, branched caudex stature, branched caudex with running roots, dense with running roots, dense pubescence on the pubescence on the leaves, and simple leaves, and simple raceme inflorescence help raceme inflorescence help distinguish this species distinguish this species from from S. grossulariifoliaS. grossulariifolia..