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Desert Globemallow Wikimedia Commons
Malvaceae

Desert Globemallow

Sphaeralcea ambigua

Desert grace.

Family
Malvaceae
Genus
Sphaeralcea
Native to
Southwestern United States, northern Mexico
Bloom season
Spring, Summer
Type
shrub
Height
2-3 ft
Sunlight
full sun
Soil
sandy, well-drained
Water
low
Hardiness
7-10
Lifespan
perennial

Did you know

  • The cup-shaped apricot flowers can blanket whole hillsides after a wet desert spring.
  • It's one of the most heat- and drought-tolerant flowering shrubs of the American Southwest.
  • The fine hairs on the leaves can irritate eyes — its other name is 'sore eye poppy.'
  • Native bees of the genus Diadasia specialize almost exclusively on globemallow flowers.
  • It blooms again after summer monsoon rains, providing two flushes of color per year.

Color meanings

0

resilience

1

warmth

Uses

  • desert gardens
  • xeric landscaping
  • native pollinator habitat