Carried by 44 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Sphaeralcea ambigua, commonly known as Desert Globemallow, is a member of the genus Sphaeralcea in the mallow family (Malvaceae). It is a perennial shrub native to parts of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona in the U.S.; and Sonora and Baja California in Northwest Mexico.
Desert Globemallow grows well in alkaline soils, both sandy and clay, usually in creosote bush scrub and desert chaparral habitats of the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert ecoregions. There are 3 varieties: Sphaeralcea ambigua var. ambigua; Sphaeralcea ambigua var. rosacea (flower more lavender-colored); and Sphaeralcea ambigua var. rugosa.
Sphaeralcea ambigua leaves are fuzzy with white hairs on both sides, lobed, veined, and on long stems, the number of which increase with age.
The flowers are bowl-shaped, five-petaled, apricot to dark orange red in color, and bloom in the spring and intermittently throughout the year. The fruit is a brown capsule containing numerous seeds, first quite spherical as implied by the genus name, later flattening to a disk.
Perennial herb
3 - 5 ft Tall
2 - 4 ft Wide
Upright, Rounded
Fast
Evergreen
Orange, Lavender, Red, Pink
Spring, Winter
Containers
Full Sun
Low, Very Low
Max 1x / month once established
Easy
Tolerates cold to 15° F
Fast
Adaptable, but prefers fast-draining desert soil.
Tolerates sodic soil..
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0
A good pruning after blooming will help to keep it from getting too woody
For propagating by seed: No treatment. Germination may be poor.
Desert and semi-desert areas, often with boulders
Creosote Bush Scrub, Desert-Holly Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland, Pine-Juniper Woodland
Trees - Palo Verde (Parkinsonia spp.), Ironwood (Olneya tesota), Pinyon Pine (Pinus monophylla), Smoketree (Psorothamnus spinosus), California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera), Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia), California Juniper (Juniperus californicus)
Other plants - Desert Holly (Atriplex hymenelytra), Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata), Desert Lavender (Condea emoryi), Desert Agave (Agave deserti), Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), Desert Scrub Oak (Quercus cornelius-mulleri), Yucca species, various cactus species
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Likely
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Confirmed
Angelic Sweat Bee
Agapostemon angelicus
Wide-legged Sweat Bee
Agapostemon femoratus
Ancylandrena timberlakei
Andrena rozeni
Onions
Allium cepa
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis
Peppers
Capsicum annuum
Chicory
Cichorium intybus