Sidalcea hickmanii subsp. anomala

Cuesta pass checkerbloom, Cuesta Pass Checkerbloom

Family: Malvaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Cuesta pass checkerbloom is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the southern Coast Ranges near Cuesta Pass in San Luis Obispo County within closed-cone conifer forest on serpentine landscapes at elevations of 600 to 800 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces pink-lavender flowers approximately 1 centimeter wide with delicate, softly colored petals. Growing as a mounded plant 30 to 70 centimeters tall with many generally crowded stems that are reddish and stellate-hairy, it forms a dense and intricate clump. Its leaves have blades 2 to 6 centimeters wide, deeply divided into 5 to 7 lobes with crenate-dentate edges and wide sinuses that narrow toward the base. The plant's multiple reddish stems and soft pink-lavender flowers make it a distinctive addition to its serpentine forest habitat.

Habitat: Closed-cone-conifer forest, generally serpentine

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 600-800 m

Bioregions: SCoRO (near Cuesta Pass, San Luis Obispo Co.).

California counties: San Luis Obispo, Inyo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.