Sidalcea multifida

Cut-leaf checkerbloom

Family: Malvaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Cut-leaf checkerbloom is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada in dry sagebrush scrub and pine forest habitats at elevations of 2,000 to 2,800 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces rose-pink flowers 10 to 25 millimeters long in small clusters of 3 to 9 blossoms. Growing with multiple ascending stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall, it develops from a woody base and has gray-glaucous foliage with a somewhat fuzzy appearance. Its basal leaves are deeply lobed with 7 to 9 segments, each divided into narrow linear or oblong shapes, creating a delicate and intricate leaf structure. The fruit consists of 6 to 7 segments approximately 3.5 to 4 millimeters long with a netted and glandular surface.

Habitat: dry places, sagebrush scrub, pine forest

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 2000-2800 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH, SNE

California counties: Tulare, Mono, Alpine, Alameda, Nevada

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