Sphaeralcea emoryi  Torrey  var. emoryi   Malvaceae   Mallow Family   Native   Emory's Desert Mallow

                                            May Photo

Plant Characteristics: Perennial with stout woody crown, several stems 3-10 (-12) dm. tall, grayish-canescent, stellate-pubescent; lvs. thickish, ovate-oblong, usually subcordate, and somewhat rounded-angulate at base, crenulate to dentate, scarcely lobed, 2-9 cm. long, .50-.75 as wide; petioles 1-6 cm. long; infl. a many fld. usually narrow thyrse, leafy; bractlets linear, 1-2 mm. long; calyx at anthesis 5-10 mm. long, the lobes deltoid-ovate to lanceolate, acute to acuminate; petals 5, grenadine, sometimes pink or lavender, 10-20 mm. long; fr. truncate-conical; filament column +/- 6 mm., anthers yellow; stigmas capitate; carpels 11-16, with chartaceous walls, 3.5-6 mm. high, rather deeply notched, with prominent ventral beak, the reticulate part forming .33-.50 of carpel, usually rugose-tuberculate on back; seeds usually 2, usually pubescent.

Habitat:  Sandy or loamy places along roads and in fields, below 2000 ft.; Creosote Bush Scrub; desert parts of Riverside and Imperial cos.; Nev., Ariz., L. Calif.  March-May.

Name:  Greek, sphaera, globe, and alkea, mallow, because of the spherical fr. (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 571).  Emoryi, named in honor of Major William Hemsley Emory, (1811-1887).  American soldier and later Director of the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey.  His well illustrated report makes fascinating reading. Several southwestern desert species are named in his honor.  (Jaeger 308).

General:  Rare in the study area, having been found in only two places; at the top and bottom of a draw between 23rd St. and the Delhi area.  There are several plants at the top and several more at the bottom of the draw. One plant at the bottom of the draw bloomed year around for several years and finally disappeared about 1999. In the year 2003, I could only find one plant; this at the top of the draw, however it was a new plant and robust.  I suspect that the plants at the top of the draw were seeded into the area after grading was done in the draw. (my comments).    Munz, Flora So. Calif. 573 describes the species as exceedingly variable, which may be the reason John Johnson, and I first identified the plant as S. ambigua ssp. ambigua.  In the various plants, the length of the filament columns and anther colors from yellow to purple cover the descriptions in the 1993 Jepson Manual for both S. ambigua ssp. ambigua and S. emoryi ssp. emoryi.  (my comments).       S. coccinea and S. cuspidata are used as a demulcent and emollient.  The crushed leaves can be made into a plaster or poultice for any skin inflammation and make a soothing shoe liner for sore or blistered feet.  The fresh leaves and flowers can be chewed or the dried plant brewed for tea to soothe a sore throat and hoarseness as well as minor irritability of the stomach and small intestine.  A traditional hair rinse after shampooing to give body and condition to the scalp.  A strong tea will curl the hair if not rinsed out.  (Moore, Medicinal Plants of Mountain West 168).       Perhaps 60 species of warmer parts of the New World, a few South African.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 571).

Text Ref:  Abrams Vol. III 87; Hickman, Ed. 760; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 573).

Photo Ref:  May-June 93 # 13,17; May 98 #8.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by John Johnson.

First Found: May 1993.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 452.

Plant specimen donated to UC Riverside in 2004.

Last edit 8/6/05. 

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