Plant Type

Perennial

 

Height Range

1-3'

 

Flower Color

Orange

 

Flower Season

Summer

 

Leaf Color

Grey Green, Grey, White

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

Brown

 

Fruit Season

Summer, Fall

Sun

Full

 

Water

Very Low, Low

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Rocky

 

Soil Condition

Average, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

Attracts Bees

Design Styles

English Cottage, Meadow, Mediterranean, Ranch

 

Accenting Features

Showy Flowers, Unusual Foliage

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Perennial Border

 

Special Uses

Erosion Control, Naturalizing

 

Attracts Wildlife

Hummingbirds

This is a southwest native, and grows in hot, dry open areas. Like other globemallow, it has nearly luminescent orange flowers that bloom in late spring. This species grows to be about 12 to 14 inches, though sometimes it may reach 30 inches in height, and about half as wide. Leaves are deeply cut and quite hairy, giving them a whitish appearance. Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia was named Sida grossulariaefolia by William Jackson Hooker and George Arnot in 1838 from a collection made by members of the Hudson Bay Company in Idaho in 1837. Per Axel Rydberg gave the present name in 1913.

Grow in well drained soil in full sun; grows in poor, rocky, or shallow soils. Very drought tolerant. Cut back in late winter.