Sphaeralcea ambigua X Sphaeralcea angustifolia
Shrubby and woolly, this perennial grows 1-3 ft., with numerous large, apricot-orange flowers in wand-like clusters near the tips of weak, wide-ranging, sometimes sprawling stems. The broad leaves have three lobes and rounded scalloped edges—a grayish plant often with many limbs and bright orange-red flowers in clusters with erect branches.
In wet years, one of the largest-flowered, most drought-tolerant species of Globe-mallow, it forms spectacular displays in the low, hot southwestern deserts. In some forms, petals are pale, purplish-pink.
Butterfly Host Plant: Texas Powdered-Skipper (Systasea pulverulenta); Common Streaky Skipper (Celotes nessus)
Height: 3’-5’
Spread: 2’-4’
Bloom: February-November
Light: Full Sun
Water: Medium
Zone: 6, 7, 8, 9
Origin: Southwestern U.S.
