Globe Mallow
Sphaeralcea ambigua
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Details & Attributes
| Plant Type(s) | Perennial |
| Native to Arizona | Yes! |
| Water Needs | Low |
| Sun | Full sun, partial shade |
| Pollinators | Bees |
| Has Spines | No |
| Size In relative feet, width by height |
1-4 × 1-4 |
| Freeze Tolerant | Yes |
| Flowering Season | Mostly Spring But Can Flower Other Times Of Year. |
| Flower Color | Orange, red, pink, white, purple |
| Minimum Temperature Range | 15-20 °F |
| Leaf Description | Vaguely arrowhead shaped with three lobes |
| Fruit | Wheel shaped, dry capsules which split into segments |
| View on SEINet | View SEINet Entry |
| Range Map | View SEINet Range Map |
| Description | Globe mallow is a very widespread and variable plant, often volunteering in cultivated places, so you may already have some in your garden! In general plants will be upright with numerous thin, hairy stems, and in the spring, they are covered with 5 petaled blooms in shades of red, orange, purple, pink, or white. Following the profuse blooms, wheel-shaped pods will develop which split into pie slice-like segments with seeds inside. Plants will tend to look fairly ragged through the summer so it can help to prune globe mallow back after seed has developed and the birds have had a chance at it. A good element in any native wildflower or pollinator gardens across the state, though at higher elevations gardeners may consider S. fendleri. |
