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Perennial · Malvaceae Draft — unreviewed

Desert globemallow

Sphaeralcea ambigua A.Gray

Also called desert globemallow, apricot mallow.

Gray-leaved desert perennial with cup-shaped apricot-orange flowers in spring. Pink, red and white forms exist.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 0.6–1 m (2–3 ft) tall and 0.6–0.9 m (2–3 ft) wide; fast growth, about 2 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.45) from the #1 install size.

00.511.52mPlanting0.3 × 0.3 mYear 30.7 × 0.6 mYear 100.8 × 0.7 mMature0.8 × 0.8 m

Bloom

Apricot orange flowers, Feb–May (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).

Bloom calendar: months each plant is in bloom
PlantJFMAMJJASOND
Desert globemallow : Feb–May

Design notes

  • Cut back by half after spring bloom to keep it compact.
  • Star-shaped leaf hairs can irritate skin and eyes — wear gloves.

Regions

Native range: Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.

Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:

Southwest

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

Common yarrow
Achillea millefolium · Perennial · 0.5–0.9 m (1–3 ft)
Sunset hyssop
Agastache rupestris · Perennial · 0.5–0.8 m (1–2 ft)
Butterfly weed
Asclepias tuberosa · Perennial · 0.5–0.8 m (1–2 ft)
Desert marigold
Baileya multiradiata · Perennial · 0.3–0.5 m (1 ft)
California fuchsia
Epilobium canum · Perennial · 0.3–0.6 m (1–2 ft)
Cardinal flower
Lobelia cardinalis · Perennial · 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft)

Plan with Desert globemallow

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden