Sidalcea celata
Redding checkerbloom
Family: Malvaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 3
Sidalcea celata (Redding checkerbloom) is a native California subshrub in the Malvaceae family, recognized by glaucous stems and branched inflorescence.
Redding checkerbloom is a California native perennial found in northern California regions including Shasta and Tehama counties, the Cascade Range, and northern Sacramento Valley in open oak woodlands at elevations of 150 to 370 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces pale pink-lavender flowers with intricate stellate-puberulent calyces up to 12 millimeters long. Growing 40 to 80 centimeters tall with generally erect stems that have bristly bases, it develops an expansive, open branched inflorescence. Its basal leaves are broadly crenate to shallowly 7-lobed, with upper leaves becoming smaller and 5-lobed, covered in distinctive 6-rayed stellate hairs measuring about 1.5 millimeters long. The fruit develops in approximately 7 segments, each 3 to 4 millimeters long with deeply pitted, net-veined surfaces.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 15 sympatric species - distinguished by glaucous stems and branched inflorescence
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open oak woodland, serpentine or not
Elevation: 150-370 m
Bloom period
Sidalcea celata blooms May-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 3
How to tell it apart
vs Malva: Sidalcea has no bract ring below flowers and anthers in two circles; Malva has 3 bracts and scattered anthers.; vs Clarkia: Sidalcea has mallow flowers with fused stamens; Clarkia has 4 separate petals and 8 separate stamens.; vs Geranium: Sidalcea has bowl-shaped flowers with fused stamens; Geranium has 5 separate petals and long beaked fruits.; vs Malacothamnus: Sidalcea is herbaceous in meadows; Malacothamnus is a woody shrub in chaparral.; vs Calochortus: Sidalcea is a dicot with 5-petaled flowers; Calochortus is a monocot with 3-petaled flowers from bulbs.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sidalcea celata native to California?
Yes. Sidalcea celata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Sidalcea celata bloom?
Sidalcea celata blooms May-Jun.
What plant family does Sidalcea celata belong to?
Sidalcea celata is in the Malvaceae family, genus Sidalcea.
Is Sidalcea celata rare or endangered?
Sidalcea celata carries California Rare Plant Rank 3, state rank S2S3.
What habitat does Sidalcea celata grow in?
Sidalcea celata grows in Open oak woodland, serpentine or not.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.