Sidalcea keckii

Keck's checkerbloom

Family: Malvaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Keck's checkerbloom is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in southern North Coast Ranges Interior and central Sierra Nevada Foothills in Colusa, Napa, Solano, Yolo, Fresno, Merced, and Tulare counties, growing on grassy slopes at elevations of 75 to 650 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces dark pink flowers with prominent dark basal spots, 10 to 20 millimeters long. Growing 1.5 to 4 decimeters tall with occasionally branched stems covered in soft stellate-bristly hairs, it has a delicate and slightly fuzzy appearance. Its lower leaves are shallowly 7 to 9-lobed, while upper leaves have more defined lobes with teeth at the tips, creating a intricate leaf structure. The fruit segments are 3 to 4 millimeters long with a net-veined and pitted back, typically tinged with a pinkish hue.

Habitat: Grassy slopes

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 75-650 m

Bioregions: s NCoRI (Colusa, Napa, Solano, Yolo cos.), c&amps SNF (Fresno, Merced, Tulare cos.).

California counties: Tulare, Napa, Colusa, Fresno, Kern, Lake, Glenn, Solano, Yolo

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