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Dwarf checkerbloom

Sidalcea malviflora

Also called Greek Mallow, California Checkerbloom

Dwarf checkerbloom
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0

Dwarf checkerbloom is a perennial herb in the mallow family, native to western North America, grown for its pink flowers in native, water-wise and wildlife gardens. It is a variable species with many subspecies, and cultivars such as 'Palustre' and 'Rosanna' are sold.

Family
Malvaceae (Mallow family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water sparingly once established; it tolerates summer drought and dislikes soggy soil.
Soil
Well-drained, sandy or loamy soil; tolerates poor soil.
Temperature
Hardy in mild climates; protect from prolonged frost.
How easy
Easy
Native range
California to Mexico (Baja California Norte)
Climate
subtropical

About

Sidalcea malviflora is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, known by the common names dwarf checkerbloom, Greek mallow, prairie mallow and dwarf checkermallow.

How to grow it

Sidalcea malviflora is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for use in traditional, native plant, water conserving, and wildlife gardens.

Cultivars have been selected for flower colors and size qualities, they include:

Where it grows

Sidalcea malviflora is native to the West Coast of the United States, from Washington to California, and into northwestern Baja California. It is a common plant of chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and other habitat types.

Other Sidalcea plants

Checkerbloom

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Sidalcea malviflora by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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