Sidalcea pedata

Bird-foot checkerbloom

Family: Malvaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Endangered

Bird-foot checkerbloom is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in the Bear Valley and Bluff Lake areas of the Transverse Ranges in moist meadows within open woodland at elevations of 1,520 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces dark rose-pink flowers with prominent dark veins, typically 9 to 12 millimeters long. Growing with multiple stems 20 to 40 centimeters tall, these plants are characterized by long bristly stems with stellate hairs near the base. Its distinctive leaves are deeply lobed with ternate-dissected blades, featuring linear to elliptic segments that become narrower in the upper leaves. The plant emerges from a fleshy taproot and produces an inflorescence that becomes dense and spike-like, reaching up to 25 centimeters long.

Habitat: Moist meadows in open woodland

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1520-2500 m

Bioregions: SnBr (Bear Valley, Bluff Lake).

California counties: San Bernardino, Sierra, Placer, Ventura

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