E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Sidalcea oregana (Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray) A. Gray
Oregon checker-mallow (Oregon checkerbloom)
Malvaceae (Mallow family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Sidalcea oregana
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC

Sidalcea oregana ssp. oregana

Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial herb from a stout taproot and a branched crown, without rhizomes; stems erect, not hollow, glabrous to soft-hairy or with star-like hairs, 20-150 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves heart-shaped, long-stalked, shallowly lobed, toothed; stem leaves alternate, palmately 5-7 lobed into oblong segments, stalks reduced upwards; stipules purple-tinged.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of numerous flowers in open, loose, terminal clusters on stalks 1-10 mm long; petals 5, light pink to deep pink, 1-2 cm long; calyces 3.5-9 mm long, hairy to bristly-hairy or with long hairs up to 2.5 mm long, bractlets lacking.

Fruits:
Carpels, 2.5-3 mm long, 5-10, honeycombed on the sides and back, the beaks 0.3-0.7 mm long; seeds 1.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Purple

Blooming Period:
Late Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer

Source: The USDA

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes

KEY TO MALVACEAE

1. Stigmas extending full length on the inner surfaces of the style branches.

2. Calyces with basal bractlets; carpels beakless ....................Malva
2. Calyces without basal bractlets; carpels beaked ............................Sidalcea

1. Stigmas terminal and head-like.

3. Leaves heart-shaped and toothed; petals yellow...............Abutilon
3. Leaves mapleleaf-like or kidney-shaped and lobed; petals not yellow, colors various.

4. Petals usually more than 2 cm long; leaves 4-15 cm long; carpels glabrous on the sides, opening the full length at maturity.........................Iliamna
4. Petals 1-2 cm long; leaves 2-6 cm long; carpels strongly net-veined on the basal half of the sides, remaining closed at the bases at maturity ..................Sphaeralcea

KEY TO SIDALCEA

1. Stems hollow; plants with rhizomes....................S. hendersonii

1. Stems not hollow; plants without rhizomes.....................S. oregana var. procera

Source: Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry grasslands, shrublands and forest openings in the steppe and lower montane zones; rare in SC BC; S to WY, UT and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Scientific Name	Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Sidalcea oregana		SU (2021)	Unknown	Not Listed
Sidalcea oregana ssp. oregana	Native	S1S2	Unknown	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Sidalcea cusickii subsp. purpurea C.L. Hitchc.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-07-27 9:33:39 AM ]

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