Plant Image
Flower and leaves


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Eremalche exilis - white mallow

Synonyms: Malvasrum exile, Malveopsis exilis, Sphaeralcea exilis
Other Common Names: malva, white-mallow
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Malvaceae


   
 
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Leaves
Ashley Shepherd Hall @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Attribution-Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC)
Plant
Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium, Usage Rights: Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Annual
General Desc: Annuals with stems up to 16 inches long; branching along the ground or with tips growing upward; sparsely hairy; leaf blades palmate with 3 to 5 rounded lobes (like the fingers on a hand); 1 to 4 flowers in leaf axils.
Identification notes: Trailing, low-growing, stems sometimes flushed purple-maroon; leaves, stems slightly hairy; leaves 3 to 5 lobed; petals white, light purple or pink, not spotted, equal the sepals in length; flowers have male and female parts, subtended by leafy bracts.
Height: Up to 16 inches


Habitat

Habitat Description: Found in desert habitats, rocky, sandy soil, roadsides and fields.
Plant Communities: Desert Scrub, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 1000 - 4000 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: White, pink, light purple     Shape: Regular not in clusters     Tubular: N     Flowering Period: Feb - Jun
Description: Small flowers, seldom exceeding leaves; 1 to 4 in leaf axils, scattered on stem, occasionally near stem base; flowers with leafy subtending bractlets 1/8 to 1/4 inch long; sepals somewhat united at the base; 12 to 15 styles.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green, dark green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Palmate     Leaf Margin: Lobed     Leaf Attachment: Alternate     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Leaves and stems     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Stems sometimes flushed with purple-maroon; leaves palmately cleft with 3 to 5 rounded lobes (like the fingers on a hand); generally >3/4 inch wide; lobe tips smooth or 3-toothed; slightly hairy.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Notes: Disc-shaped fruits (schizocarps), 1/4 inch, 9 to 13 mericarps (segments); wedge-shaped in cross-section, with rounded margins; surfaces blackish and prominently wrinkled, outer walls cross-ridged; fruit splits at maturity into several 1-seeded carpels.
Seed Notes: Seeds solitary.



  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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