Virginia Tech Dendrology

desert globemallow Malvaceae Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Gray symbol: SPAM2
Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen, nearly round to cordate, palmately lobed, densely woolly pubescent/velvety above and below, blue-green above and below, appearing wrinkled.
Flower: Very attractive and poppy-like, 5 red, orange, yellow, or pink petals approximately 1 inch across, borne on a 2 foot tall spike and blooming for most of the growing season.
Fruit: A round, multi-parted dry capsule, 1/2 inch in diameter, base covered in dense silky pubescence.
Twig: Densely pubescent and slender, white woolly with pubescence.
Bark: Green to brown.
Form: A dense rounded shrub, to 4 feet tall.

Additional Range Information: Sphaeralcea ambigua is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information