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Scarlett
Globemallow
Common
Name(s):
Scarlet Globemallow
Slippery Elm
Scientific
Name:
Sphaeralcea
coccinea (Pursh) Rydb.
Scientific
Name Synonyms:
Sphaeralcea spp. St.
-Hil.
Symbol:
SPCO
Description:
Life
Span: Perennial
Origin:Native
Season: Cool
Growth Characteristics:
Hairy,
several -stemmed forbs, which grow from a woody base. The stems
are erect, reaching heights of up to 2 ½ feet tall. Flowers
April to August, and reproduces from seeds.
Flowers/Inflorescence:
Petals
deep orange or brick red to pinkish. They are short stalked, at
first crowded into dense terminal clusters, later elongating.
Fruits/Seeds:Fruit
is a Schizocarp.
Leaves: Palmately
shaped, with 3-5 deep cleft lobes. Because they are covered with
star-shaped (stellate) hairs, the leaves have a rough, sandpaper-like
texture.
Ecological
Adaptations:
Scarlet
globemallow grows mainly in dry grassland prairies at elevations
of 3,500 to 9,000 feet. It is considerably drought resistant and
establishes well on disturbed sites. It loses its leaves during
times of drought and may actually increase in size in times of drought
and overgrazing.
Soils: Adapted
to a broad range of soils.
Associated Species:
Shadcale,
cheatgrass, big
sagebrush, winterfat.
Uses and
Management:
Scarlet
globemallow is commonly eaten by almost all species of herbivores
and is an important part of the diets of small mammals, pronghorn,
sheep, and cattle.
Blackfoot Indians chewed these plants and applied the paste to burns,
scalds, and external sores as a cooling agent.
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