Nelson’s checkermallow is an erect perennial arising from a stout taproot, the stems 40-100 cm tall and glabrous or with short, simple hairs. Leaf blades are glabrous above and sparsely covered with small, stiff hairs beneath. Basal leaves are round and palmately lobed, the lobes toothed; upper leaves are increasingly deeply cleft. The species is gynodioecious, with plants that are either pistillate (female, lacking stamens) or perfect (having both male and female parts). Racemes are somewhat spikelike, but elongate and open, bearing many flowers. Petals are pinkish lavender, calyces usually purplish tinged. Petals of perfect flowers are 9-15 mm long, the calyx 4.5-7 mm long; petals of pistillate flowers are 5-9 mm long, the calyx 4-6 mm long. Carpels are approximately 3 mm long and lightly reticulate on the sides, the beak less than 0.5 mm long.
Overview
- Species Common Name Nelson's checkermallow
- Species Scientific Name Sidalcea nelsoniana
- State Listing Status Threatened
Ecoregions
Coast Range
Oregon's Coast Range, known for its dramatic scenery, is extremely diverse, with habitats ranging from open sandy dunes to lush forests and from tidepools to headwater streams. It follows the coastline and extends east through coastal forest to the border of the Willamette Valley and Klamath Mountains ecoregions
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ecoregion is bounded on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Cascade Range. This long mostly level alluvial plain has some scattered areas of low basalt, and contrasts with productive farmland and large urban areas. It has the fastest-growing human population in the state resulting in challenges due to land-use changes.