Sidalcea oregana
Oregon checker mallow
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Family: Malvaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Sidalcea oregana (Oregon checker mallow) is a native California subshrub in the Malvaceae family.
Oregon checker mallow is a California native perennial found in montane meadows, conifer forests, and open woodlands at elevations of 500 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces soft pink to dark rose-pink flowers 10 to 20 millimeters long in dense, spike-like clusters. Growing with clustered stems 30 to 150 centimeters tall that are glabrous or coarsely hairy at the base, it forms a woody taproot with a branched crown. Its leaves vary from lower broadly crenate or lobed blades to upper leaves with 5 to 7 narrow, deeply divided lobes, ranging 3 to 10 centimeters wide. The fruit segments are smooth, 2 to 3 millimeters long with a tiny 0.3 to 0.7 millimeter beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated with no sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: Siskiyou, Mono, Alpine, Tulare, Trinity, Nevada, Placer, Butte, Del Norte, Humboldt, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Tehama, Modoc, Mendocino, Fresno, Inyo, Kings, El Dorado
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 oregana native to California?
Yes. Sidalcea oregana is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Sidalcea oregana grow?
Sidalcea oregana occurs in Siskiyou, Mono, Alpine, Tulare, Trinity, Nevada, Placer, Butte and other counties.
What plant family does Sidalcea oregana belong to?
Sidalcea oregana is in the Malvaceae family, genus Sidalcea.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
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.