Malvaceae

Sidalcea oregana

Oregon Checker Mallow

Upright from a woody taproot. Stem with coarse, bristly, or star-shaped hairs on lower section, smooth upper section. Leaves on lowest section of stem lobed. Inflorescence stems and branches leafy, leaves usually deeply lobed and sharply toothed. Flowers in loose spike-like raceme with pink to deep rose, oval, 1/2–3/4 in. long petals. This species may have bisexual plants and female plants with smaller-petaled flowers lacking anthers. Grows in meadows, stream margins, wet places, also in ponderosa pine forests and sagebrush, at low to high elevations.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: Late Spring, Early Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 2--4 feet
• Habitat: Meadow, East-Side Forest, Shrub-Steppe
• Found In: Steens, Wallowas, West Gorge, Coast Range
• Native: Yes