Sidalcea malachroides
Maple-leaved checkerbloom
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Malvaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.2
Sidalcea malachroides (Maple-leaved checkerbloom) is a native California subshrub in the Malvaceae family, recognized by woody base and white flowers.
Maple-leaved checkerbloom is a California native perennial ranked 4.2 by CNPS, found in northern coastal California regions including the North Coast, central Coast, and San Francisco Bay Area in woodland clearings near the coast at elevations below 700 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces white to pale purple-white flowers 7 to 15 millimeters long in head-like spikes. Growing with several erect stems 40 to 150 centimeters tall, it develops from a woody base and is covered in harsh, stellate hairs. Its distinctive leaves are generally shallowly 5 to 7-lobed with coarse rounded teeth, similar in size and shape along the entire stem. The plant produces fruit segments 5 to 9 in number, each approximately 2.5 millimeters long with smooth sides and rounded outer edges.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 17 sympatric species - distinguished by woody base and white flowers
Habitat and range
Habitat: Woodland, clearings near coast
Elevation: < 700 m
Outside California: western Oregon
Bloom period
Sidalcea malachroides blooms Apr-Aug.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.2
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 malachroides native to California?
Yes. Sidalcea malachroides is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Sidalcea malachroides bloom?
Sidalcea malachroides blooms Apr-Aug.
What plant family does Sidalcea malachroides belong to?
Sidalcea malachroides is in the Malvaceae family, genus Sidalcea.
Is Sidalcea malachroides rare or endangered?
Sidalcea malachroides carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.2, state rank S3.
What habitat does Sidalcea malachroides grow in?
Sidalcea malachroides grows in Woodland, clearings near coast.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Sidalcea malviflora — Checkerbloom
- Sidalcea malviflora subsp. californica — Chaparral checkerbloom
- Sidalcea malviflora subsp. dolosa — Bear valley checkerbloom
- Sidalcea malviflora subsp. laciniata — Geranium-leaved checkerbloom
- Sidalcea malviflora subsp. malviflora
- Sidalcea malviflora subsp. patula — Siskiyou checkerbloom
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.