Sidalcea neomexicana

Salt spring checkerbloom, Salt Spring Checkerbloom

Family: Malvaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Salt spring checkerbloom is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in southern coastal, western Transverse, San Gabriel, San Bernardno, Peninsular Ranges, and southwestern Mojave Desert regions in alkaline springs and marshes at elevations generally below 1,500 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces pale pink-rose flowers with white veins 6 to 18 millimeters long. Growing with 2 to 5 stems up to 50 centimeters tall, it emerges from clustered fleshy roots and displays stems that are bristly-hairy below and stellate-hairy above. Its leaves are fleshy and distinctive, with basal leaves crenate to shallowly 5-lobed and upper leaves 5-lobed, measuring 2 to 5 centimeters wide. The fruit segments are approximately 2 millimeters long with smooth to weakly net-veined sides.

Habitat: Alkaline springs, marshes

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: generally < 1500 m

Bioregions: SCo, WTR (extirpated?), SnGb, SnBr, PR, sw DMoj

California counties: Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Los Angeles, Alameda, Ventura, Merced

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