Description

Munro’s globemallow grows in the Southwest and Great Basin. Its range just enters California in the eastern Sierra Nevada. The form is an open fountain with gray triangular leaves up to about three feet. The flowers arrive in spring and rise above the leaves on bright panicles. Generally the flowers are solid orange to apricot. Summer water seems to stimulate additional blooms, reflecting the response to monsoonal moisture in its desert habitat. Munro’s globemallow has proven to thrive in the SF Bay Area, though coastal settings are still in question. Plant in full sun and well-draining soil. This globemallow is very similar to the desert mallow, Sphaeralcea ambigua. Munro’s globemallow is somewhat shorter, and the leaves and flower stocks have slightly different structures. So far, Munro’s globemallow have not shown a tendency to spread via rhizome, as is common with the desert mallow.