Hot Springs globemallow Hot Springs globemallow

Plants perennial. Stems erect, white or yellow, to 10–20 dm, rubbery, densely soft stellate-pubescent. Leaf blades white or yellow, deltate to lanceolate, subhastate to 3-lobed, 4–7 cm, secondary lobes to 2.2 cm, not rugose, base cuneate, margins crenate to dentate, surfaces green- to white-canescent. Inflorescences paniculate, open, many-flowered, interrupted, tip leafy; involucellar bractlets green to tan. Flowers: sepals 6–7 mm; petals white, pink, lavender, purple, red-orange, or red, 10–13 mm; anthers yellow. Schizocarps short-urceolate; mericarps 12–14, (3.5–)4–5.5 × 2–3 mm, chartaceous, nonreticulate dehiscent part 60% of height, with usually reflexed cusps to 2 mm, indehiscent part not wider than dehiscent part. Seeds 1 or 2 per mericarp, gray, pubescent. 2n =20.

Flowering summer. Desert lowlands; 1900 m; Ariz., N.Mex., Tex.; Mexico (Chihuahua).

Sphaeralcea polychroma is frequent in central New Mexico and western Texas. It is closely related to S. procera.