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Fendler Globemallow
Sphaeralcea fendleri var. elongata
34.8982, -107.587
Field Notes
Description:
The flowers are on tall, slender flower stalks. Flowers are 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) wide and a range of colors: pink, lavender, salmon orange. They have 5 broad, fan-shaped, uncupped, notched petals and yellow anthers. The petals are held wide open, almost flat unlike the cupped petals of typical globemallows.
The leaves are green, hairy, uncrinkled, unruffled, variably scalloped, usually 3-lobed, and elongated to about twice as long as wide.
There are five subspecies of S. fendleri. The distinction between them is usually leaf shape and size. "Sphaeralcea fendleri var. elongata varies from Sphaeralcea fendleri var. fendleri in that the leaves are more than twice as long as wide and only shallowly lobed near the base. " S. fendleri ssp. venusta has leaves similar shape to ssp. elongata, but of shorter length. Another ssp. has crinkly leaf edges.
Habitat:
Desert (upper elevation foothill canyons), Upland, Mountains.
Notes:
This caught my eye when visiting Acoma pueblo (Sky City) in New Mexico. One solitary (and probably voluntary) plant against the stone wall in crack between exterior wall and concrete floor. I love the salmon orange color. Saw scattered plants along roadside in central eastern NM (high desert brush lands), same color.
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