Sphaeralcea ambigua
Apricot mallow
(c) Tim Messick, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Malvaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Sphaeralcea ambigua (Apricot mallow) is a native California subshrub in the Malvaceae family.
Apricot mallow is a California native shrub found in desert and southwestern bioregions in dry, open habitats at elevations of 100 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to October, this plant produces salmon-orange to apricot-colored flowers in open panicles. Growing with erect, canescent stems 50 to 100 centimeters tall, it forms a distinctively soft, grayish subshrub. Its leaves are roughly triangular, 15 to 50 millimeters long, with three weak lobes and a wavy, crenate edge, colored green to yellow-green with a wedge-shaped or truncate base. The fruit develops into 9 to 13 small segments, each containing two brown seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated parent species with varieties in overlapping regions
Habitat and range
California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, San Diego, Inyo, Butte, Imperial, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Mono, Ventura, Siskiyou, Napa, Tulare, Yolo
How to tell it apart
vs Malacothamnus: Sphaeralcea flowers face outward in open panicles; Malacothamnus flowers are tucked closer to stems in denser clusters.; vs Abutilon: Sphaeralcea has 1-3 small bracts (even if fallen); Abutilon completely lacks any bracts beneath flowers.; vs Malva: Sphaeralcea has salmon-orange flowers and net-veined fruit base; Malva has pink-purple flowers and smooth fruits throughout.; vs Hibiscus: Sphaeralcea has small flowers and inconspicuous bracts; Hibiscus has very large flowers and prominent persistent bracts.; vs Eriogonum: Sphaeralcea has typical mallow flowers with fused stamen column; Eriogonum has tiny flowers in heads with papery bracts.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sphaeralcea ambigua native to California?
Yes. Sphaeralcea ambigua is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Sphaeralcea ambigua grow?
Sphaeralcea ambigua occurs in San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, San Diego, Inyo, Butte, Imperial, Los Angeles and other counties.
What plant family does Sphaeralcea ambigua belong to?
Sphaeralcea ambigua is in the Malvaceae family, genus Sphaeralcea.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Sphaeralcea ambigua var. ambigua — Apricot mallow
- Sphaeralcea ambigua var. rosacea — Parish mallow
- Sphaeralcea ambigua var. rugosa — Roughleaf apricot mallow
- Sphaeralcea angustifolia — Narrow-leaved globemallow
- Sphaeralcea coulteri — Coulter's globemallow
- Sphaeralcea emoryi var. emoryi — Emory's globemallow
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.