Also called Orange globe mallow, its conspicuous
fowers make it an easily recognized species.
The five colourful petals, approximately 1/2 inch long, overlap somewhat
and form an attractive "bowl" containing the numerous stamens.
The leaves are dark green to somewhat grayish and resemble maple leaves
with their roughly mealy texture and lobing. Mallows characteristically
have 3-5 leaves which are up to 5 cm in length with stems almost as long.
They have a rather loose form of several wide branching, fibrous stems.
The plants arise from a very deep and strong woody root system. The generic
name comes from Greek: sphaera means globe-like and refers to the
round fruit with pie-shaped segments; alcea means mallow.
Distribution
Map
Red dots indicate specimen records or confirmed breeding sites.
British Columbia
Munroe's Globe-mallow is rare in southcentral British Columbia and is
found in the Okanagan Highland (Osoyoos), south of Penticton, Fairview,
between Oliver and Osoyoos.
North America
In Washington, the Mallow is found in Coulee County, Yakima and Wenatchee.
It lives throughout the ecologically extreme habitat of the sagebrush
steppe and extends southward into the drier Sonoran and Mojave Deserts.
South to Montana, Utah and California.
Habitat
The mallow inhabits arid places, often with sagebrush in the steppe
vegetation zone. It prefers moderately sandy or rocky sites.
Why is it endangered?
This species along with others of the grasslands communities are endangered
for a number of reasons. Livestock grazing, range re-seeding and off-road
recreation have modified much of the remaining "undeveloped"
grassland areas. In addition, cultivation, agricultural and urban development,
prescribed burning, forest encroachment, road and trail development, alien
plant and animal species introductions, and hydro-electric power projects
have caused outright, irreversible losses of native grassland species
in general.
Because grasslands have been so influenced by human activities, a relatively
large number of wildlife species associated with grasslands (including
this plant species) are listed as threatened or endangered. Because of
these combined influences and the relatively limited distribution of grasslands,
"ancient" grasslands represent a much more endangered space
in British Columbia than do "ancient" or old-growth forests.
Biology
Munroe's Globemallow blooms in late summer in its northern range.
Sources for more information
Related On-line Sites to Visit
Publications
The Vascular Plants of BC, MOF, pt. 2, 1990, p. 77
The SOCAP Workshop Summary, The Nature Trust, 1989.
Sagebrush Country, Taylor, 1992, p. 84
Trees, Shrubs and Flowers to Know in British Columbia and Washington,
1995, p. 259.
Museum Specimens
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