SPHAERALCEA: A DIFFICULT GENUS WITH WEAK DISTINCTIONS

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SPHAERALCEA A DIFFICULT GENUS WITH WEAK
DISTINCTIONS
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40 species worldwide ?15 species in
Intermountain Region
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Need to add S. before names ensure that
symbols come across Italicize scientific
names consistently omit authors
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Species 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

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Difficulties

• Weak character differences between species
• Polyploidy and hybridization

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Generic 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

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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

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Species identification (2)

• Inflorescence
• Thyrsoid
• Paniculate
• Racemose
• Number of flowers/node
• Calyx
• Length
• Lobe length
• Overall shape
• Flowers
• Petal length

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Leaves

• Not or shallowly lobed

• Deeply lobed

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Inflorescence

• Thyrsoid/ paniculate flowers attached in a
  cluster at the nodes

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

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4 commonly confused species

• S. coccinea
• S. grossulariifolia
• S. munroana
• S. parvifolia

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Key to Common Species

• Leaves entire or shallowly lobed
• Leaves densely pubescent, relatively thick,
  margins weakly crenulate - S. parvifolia
• Leaves moderately pubescent (greenish),
  relatively thin, margins coarsely and irregularly
  crenulate
• - S. munroana

• Leaves deeply lobed
• Inflorescence thyrsoid or paniculate with 2
  flowers/node mericarps higher than wide
• S. grossulariifolia
• Inflorescence racemose with 1(2,3) flowers/node
  mericarps nearly as high as wide S.
  coccinea

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Sphaeralcea 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.

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Leaves cauline petiole 1.5-4(6)cm blade
thickish, about as wide as long, deltate-ovate to
suborbicular, sometimes shallowly 3-5 lobed,
palmately veined, veins prominent beneath,
slightly channeled above.
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Inflorescence relatively narrowly
thyrsoid-glomerate pedicels 2-10 mm, ascending
calyx 5-8(9) mm, lobes ovate, obtuse, densely
pubescent petals 2-10 mm, orange-red staminal
column 3-5.5 mm, glabrous, anthers apical styles
capitate.
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Schizocarp of about 10 mericarps forming a ring
4-5.5 mm in diameter mericarps 2-seeded, 2.8-4
mm high, 2-2.3 mm wide, pubescent on back and
margins. Seeds 1.7-2 mm long, reniform, dark
brown to black, patches of minute hairs.
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Washes, roadsides, and among greasewood,
blackbrush, sagebrush and juniper communities.
750-2450 m. Southern and lower elevation
counterpart to S. munroana. The confluent leaf
blades seem to be diagnostic for most specimens
of this species.
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Sphaeralcea 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.

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Leaves cauline petiole 1.5-4.5(5.5)cm blade
thin, about as wide as long, deltate-ovate, often
moderately 3-5 lobed, lobes rounded or obtuse,
palmately veined, veins not as prominent beneath.
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Inflorescence relatively narrowly
thyrsoid-glomerate pedicels stout, shorter than
the calyx calyx 4.7-7 mm, lobes ovate, acute,
densely pubescent petals 8-14(18) mm, grenadine
staminal column 4.5-5.7 mm, glabrous to sparsely
pubescent, anthers apical styles capitate.
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Schizocarps of 10-12 mericarps forming a ring
4-5.2 mm in diameter mericarps 1(2)-seeded, 2-3
mm high, 1.8-2.5 mm wide, apically pubescent on
back and margins. Seeds about 1.7 mm long,
reniform, dark brown, minutely pubescent.
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Deserts, valleys and foothills among rabbitbrush
and sagebrush communities. 640-2400 m. Difficult
to distinguish from S. parviflora. S. munroana
var. subrhomboidea has 3 distinct lobes reaching
almost halfway to the base is found along the
Wasatch and Oquirrh Mts. and North into Southern
Idaho.
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Sphaeralcea 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.

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Leaves cauline petiole (1)1.5-5(7)cm blade more
or less thin, about as wide as long, deltate or
broadly ovate in outline, 3-5 lobed sometime
appearing 3-foliate, lobes with deeply cleft
lateral lobes, lateral lobes asymmetrical, 10 mm
wide, palmately veined, veins prominent beneath.
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Inflorescence relatively narrowly
thyrsoid-glomerate pedicels stout, shorter than
the calyx, sometimes longer at the lower nodes
calyx 5-11 mm, lobes ovate to lanceolate, acute
petals 11-22 mm, grenadine staminal column 4-6
mm, glabrous or stellate pubescent, anthers
apical styles capitate.
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Schizocarp of 10-12 mericarps forming a ring
4.5-6.5 mm in diameter mericarps 1(2)-seeded,
2.5-3.5(4) mm high, 2-3 mm wide, pubescent on
dorsal and apical surfaces. Seeds about 2 mm
long, reniform, dark brown, minutely puberulent.
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Deserts, valleys and foothills among blackbrush,
greasewood, shadscale, rabbitbrush and sagebrush
vegetation. 800-2300 m. A complex species with
great variation in the dissection of the leaves.
Much of the variation likely comes from
introgression with other species. It appears to
be less common in the Southern portions of its
range.
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Sphaeralcea 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.

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Leaves cauline petiole 1-2.5(4)cm blade, wider
than long, broadly ovate to orbicular in outline,
pedately 3-foliate, lower lateral lobes deeply
divided, lower segments imparting a 5-foliate
appearance, mid lobe ternate to pinnatifid.
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Inflorescence lower flowers solitary in leaf
axils and a bracteate raceme above with 1 flower
per node, barely elongating in fruit pedicels
2-10 mm, relatively stout at maturity, ascending
calyx (5)6-9.5 mm, lobes triangular-ovate, acute
petals 10-16(20) mm, deep orange to
reddish-orange staminal column 3-5 mm, sparsely
stellate pubescent, anthers apical styles
capitate.
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Schizocarp of 10-14 mericarps forming a ring
4.8-6.7 mm in diameter mericarps 1(2)-seeded,
2-2.6(4) mm high, 2.4-3 mm wide, rounded
dorsally, densely pubescent on dorsally. Seeds
about 2 mm long, reniform, dark brown to black.
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Sandy and gravelly soils in greasewood,
shadscale, sagebrush, pinyon-juniper and Gambel
oak communities. (1000)1375-2750 m. The somewhat
smaller stature, branched caudex with running
roots, dense pubescence on the leaves, and simple
raceme inflorescence help distinguish this
species from S. grossulariifolia.