flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
s in the mallow
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
(
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar o ...
). There are about 40-60
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
, including
annual
Annual may refer to:
* Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year
**Yearbook
**Literary annual
* Annual plant
*Annual report
*Annual giving
*Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco
*Annuals (band), ...
s,
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
s, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...
. They are commonly known as globemallows, globe mallows, or falsemallows. The name of the genus is derived from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
words σφαῖρα (''sphaira''), meaning "sphere," and αλκεα (''alkea''), meaning "mallow."
The leaves of these plants are spirally arranged, and usually palmate or toothed. Both stems and leaves are downy. Like other Malvaceae, the
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
s are saucer- or cup-shaped, with the
stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
s joined into a column in the center.
''Sphaeralcea'' species are used as food plants by the
larvae
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
T ...
Sphaeralcea angustifolia
''Sphaeralcea angustifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names copper globemallow and narrow-leaved globemallow. It is native to the southwestern United States as well as northern and central Mexico, ...
Sphaeralcea bonariensis
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family ( Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from South Am ...
'' (Cav.) Griseb. – Latin globemallow
*''
Sphaeralcea caespitosa
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family ( Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from South Am ...
'' M.E.Jones – Tufted globemallow
*''
Sphaeralcea coccinea
''Sphaeralcea coccinea'', the scarlet globemallow, is a perennial plant growing 10–30 cm tall from spreading rhizomes with a low habit. They have grayish stems with dense, star-shaped hairs and alternately arranged leaves. The leaf blades ...
'' (Nutt.) Rydb. – Scarlet globemallow, red globemallow, red falsemallow
*''
Sphaeralcea coulteri
''Sphaeralcea coulteri'' is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name Coulter's globemallow. It is native to the Sonoran Desert, its distribution extending from northern Mexico north into California and Arizona ...
'' (S.Watson) A.Gray – Coulter's globemallow
*''
Sphaeralcea digitata
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family ( Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from South Am ...
Sphaeralcea emoryi
''Sphaeralcea emoryi'' is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name Emory's globemallow. It is native to the Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or s ...
'' Torr. ex A.Gray – Emory's globemallow
*''
Sphaeralcea fendleri
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (biology), family (Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annual plant, annuals, Perennial plant, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of No ...
Sphaeralcea gierischii
''Sphaeralcea gierischii'', Gierisch's globemallow or Gierisch mallow, is an endangered species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is native to the western United States, where it is known only from Utah and Arizona.
'' – Gierisch mallow
*''
Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia
''Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name gooseberryleaf globemallow. It is native to the western United States, where it can be found in the Great Basin and surrounding regio ...
Sphaeralcea incana
''Sphaeralcea incana'', with the common names gray globemallow and soft globemallow, is a desert plant in the Malvaceae, mallow family (Malvaceae).Sphaeralcea janeae'' (Welsh) Welsh – Jane's globemallow
*''
Sphaeralcea laxa
''Sphaeralcea laxa'', with the common name caliche globemallow, is a desert plant in the mallow family (Malvaceae).
References
laxa
{{malveae-stub ...
'' Wooton & Standl. – Caliche globemallow
*''
Sphaeralcea leptophylla
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from South America. ...
'' (A.Gray) Rydb. – Scaly globemallow
*''
Sphaeralcea lindheimeri
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (biology), family (Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annual plant, annuals, Perennial plant, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of No ...
'' A.Gray – Woolly globemallow
*''
Sphaeralcea munroana
''Sphaeralcea munroana'' is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Munro's globemallow and Munro's desert-mallow. It is native to the western United States, where it can be found in the Great Basin and surroun ...
Sphaeralcea palmeri
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family ( Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from South Am ...
''
*''
Sphaeralcea parvifolia
''Sphaeralcea parvifolia'', commonly called small-leaved globe-mallow or small-leaf globemallow, is a species of plant native to the western United States in the Great Basin and Colorado River drainage. It is medium sized herbaceous species that ...
Sphaeralcea pedatifida
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from South America. ...
Sphaeralcea procera
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from South America. ...
'' – Luna County globemallow
*''
Sphaeralcea psoraloides
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from South America. ...
Sphaeralcea subhastata
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (biology), family (Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annual plant, annuals, Perennial plant, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of No ...
''
*''
Sphaeralcea sulphurea
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from South America. ...