Sidalcea asprella subsp. nana

(Jepson) S. R. Hill

Madroño 56: 105. 2009.

Common names: Dwarf harsh checkerbloom
Endemic
Basionym: Sidalcea reptans var. nana Jepson Fl. Calif. 2: 489. 1936
Synonyms: S. malviflora subsp. nana (Jepson) C. L. Hitchcock
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 6. Treatment on page 326. Mentioned on page 325.

Plants 0.1–0.3(–0.4) m, with caudex or not, with rhizomes freely rooting, 5–20 cm × 2(–3) mm. Stems decumbent-ascending to erect, sometimes proximally prostrate, rooting, not brittle, densely, harshly stellate-puberulent to glabrate, hairs 0.1–0.5(–0.7) mm, usually less dense distally. Leaves mostly basal, cauline 1–3+, gradually reduced distally; petioles of proximal leaves 5–10 cm, 1–4 times as long as blade, those of distal leaves 1/2 times to as long as blade; blades: basal usually palmately 7-lobed, or deeply crenate, 2.2–2.7(–4) × 2–2.3(–4) cm, base cordate or sinus wide to narrow, apex rounded, cauline deeply 3–7-lobed, 1.5–3 cm, lobes usually apically 3-toothed or distalmost entire, surfaces hairy, more densely stellate-puberulent adaxially, hairs usually 2–4-rayed (simple), bristly. Inflorescences ascending, usually unbranched, subscapose, usually 1-sided, pistillate usually 9–14-flowered, bisexual 2–9(–19)-flowered; bracts linear to lanceolate, stipulelike, 2–2.5(–4) mm, shorter than to as long as pedicel. Pedicels 3–4 mm. Flowers: calyx 5–7(–12) mm; petals pink, pistillate 9–11 mm, bisexual 15–20(–28) mm; stigmas 7 or 8. Schizocarps 7–8 mm diam.; mericarps 7 or 8, 4 mm, reticulate-rugose-veined, sides and back pitted, mucro 1 mm, with few minute bristles. Seeds 2.8 mm.


Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat: Open woodlands, grassy margins, yellow pine-Douglas fir forests, usually serpentine
Elevation: 400–1900 m

Discussion

Subspecies nana has been confused with subsp. asprella, Sidalcea celata, S. elegans, and S. glaucescens and has been placed within S. malviflora. The type specimen (Jepson 14061) has small individuals with only two or three flowers and long rhizomes, and it does superficially resemble S. reptans, as Jepson suggested, but more robust individuals have more flowers and clearly show vegetative and reproductive similarity to subsp. asprella.

Subspecies nana occurs from California in the northern Sierra Nevada to southwestern Oregon.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
Steven R. Hill +
(Jepson) S. R. Hill +
Sidalcea reptans var. nana +
Dwarf harsh checkerbloom +
Calif. +  and Oreg. +
400–1900 m +
Open woodlands, grassy margins, yellow pine-Douglas fir forests, usually serpentine +
Flowering Jun–Aug(–Sep). +
S. malviflora subsp. nana +
Sidalcea asprella subsp. nana +
Sidalcea asprella +
subspecies +