Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Gray
Desert mallow, apricot mallow, desert globemallow
Desert globemallow is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
Plants: Perennial shrubs are up to 1½–3′ tall ⨉ 2–3′ around (50–101 ⨉ 60–91 cm), with up to 100 stems emerging from the same root.
Leaves: Gray-green, fuzzy with tiny white hairs. They vary in shape, and have wavy, crenate margins.
Flowers: Bowl shaped, brilliant orange to apricot in color, 2–3″ (5–7.6 cm) around, with five petals. (A subspecies, S. ambigua var. rosacea , has lavender, pink, or white petals.) Flowers are in panicles atop upper stems. Flowers appear in spring, and after rains.
Fruits: Globular brown schizocarps break into nine or more segments, each with up to 2 seeds.
Habitats: Dry, rocky slopes, clay soils, edges of sandy washes, roadsides, and disturbed areas, at elevations below 3500′ (1 km) in Arizona, and 500–7500′ (152–2286 m) in California.
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Similar species. |
Online References:
5/3/2018 · Park Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park · ≈ 13 × 10″ (34 × 26 cm) 
5/3/2018 · Park Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park 
5/3/2018 · Park Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 4½ × 4″ (11 × 11 cm) 
4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 6 × 4″ (14 × 11 cm) 
4/28/2018 · Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 5 × 7″ (13 × 18 cm) 
4/28/2018 · Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 4 × 4½″ (10.0 × 11 cm) 
4/29/2018 · Willow Spring Picnic Area, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (47 × 31 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Malvales | Includes cacao, balsa, lime, linden, basswood, daphnes, hibiscus, hollyhocks, okra, baobab, cotton, kapok, and many others |
| Family | Malvaceae | Includes okra, jute, cacao, hibiscus, many others |
| Genus | Sphaeralcea | From the Greek sphaira, “a globe,” and alcea, a related genus, referring to the spherical fruits, the common name of this genus being “globe-mallow” |
| Species | ambigua | Doubtful, of uncertain identity |
Sphaeralcea ambigua description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 27 Jul 2026.
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