Arrow-leaf Mallow
Malvella sagitifolia
Photographed in the Vekol Valley, Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona, USA, 29 March 2015.
FLOWERS: Small mallow flowers are pale yellow or pink to nearly white. The numerous
stamens are fused by their filaments into a column surrounding the
style. Blooms mid spring.
PERENNIAL: The roots and below ground stem survive from one wet season to the next. The herbaceous stems trail along the ground within the boundary layer.
LEAVES: Leaves are covered with numerous, silvery
hairs that help reflect the hot sunshine. Arrow-shaped.
RANGE: Distributed from southeastern California to northern Mexico. They grow mostly on desert pans -
flat areas with fine-grained soils and poor drainage. These are temporarily inundated after rare rainstorms.
FRUIT: Dry capsules in a disc-shaped arrangement.
UNARMED.