There are many species of globemallows and I don't have sufficient resources or time to figure out the differences between them. In looking at the USDA website, I find 16 species in either or both of California and Arizona, including the desert, copper, scarlet, Coulter's, juniper, Emory's, Fendler's, gooseberry leaf, spear, gray, caliche, scaly, Munro's, Carrizo Creek, small flower, Rusby's and Wrights globemallow. The Desert USA website, which often combines different species, just lists the desert globemallow. I have used it as the primary source for what I have below. It states that the desert globemallow is found in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of Southern California and Nevada, southwestern Utah, Arizona and northern Mexico. The globemallow below was photographed near Eagle Mountain.
The globemallow is found in sandy washes and on rocky hillsides below 4,000 feet. It has a five petaled, cup-shaped flower that is usually bright orange or apricot, but can be white, pink, purple or bluish (again, I think, generally calling different species of globemallow the desert globemallow). A closer view of the Eagle Mountain flower.
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The plant grows up to three feet in height. This small plant, with only two open flowers and some buds just ready to flower, was found in Estes Canyon in Organ Pipe Cactus National Park. Note that these flowers are more orange, the buds look different and the center of the flower looks different.
It has gray-green leaves that are triangular with three lobes and scalloped edges. A closer look at the Estates Canyon plant.
This larger globemallow plant was found outside of Buckeye, Arizona. It has substantially more flowers. The flowers grow in clusters on the upper stems of the plant.
And the following globemallow was found just off the main road in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and has even more flowers.
The following globemallow, found south of Gila Bend, seems to have less conspicuous lobes on the leaves than the one above.
A closer look at the flowers of the Organ Pipe globemallow.
A closer view of a flower.
Note again, that the center of the flower looks quite different. Finally, a view of several stems from a globemallow found south of Gila Bend. On our recent trip to southern Arizona, the blooming globemallow along the side of the freeway provided beautiful splotches of red that we enjoyed.
On April 3, 2010, I found these globemallows on the rocks behind the Cottonwood grove of California fan palms in Joshua Tree National Park. Their color really perks up the surrounding area.
I particularly loved the morning light as it shone through the flowers.
and
A close-up of two flowers.
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