Marsh checkerbloom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marsh checkerbloom |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sidalcea
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| Species: |
ranunculacea
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Sidalcea ranunculacea is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the mallow family, just like cotton and hibiscus! People often call it the marsh checkerbloom or marsh checker mallow.
About the Marsh Checkerbloom
This special plant grows only in California. When a plant or animal is found only in one specific place, it's called endemic. The marsh checkerbloom is known to grow only in Tulare County and Kern County.
Where it Grows
You can find Sidalcea ranunculacea in the southern parts of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Greenhorn Mountains. It likes to grow at high elevations, from about 1,820 metres (5,970 ft) up to 3,050 metres (10,010 ft) high! Many of these plants live inside famous places like the Sequoia National Forest, Sequoia National Park, and Kings Canyon National Park.
This plant loves wet places. It often grows in moist areas like wet meadows or along the banks of streams. You can spot it in different types of forests, such as those with yellow pine trees, red fir trees, or lodgepole pine trees.
What it Looks Like
The marsh checkerbloom is a type of plant called a rhizomatous perennial herb. This means it has underground stems (rhizomes) that help it spread, and it lives for many years. It can grow up to 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) tall.
The plant is covered in tiny hairs, and the lower parts can feel a bit bristly. Its leaves are fleshy, meaning they are thick, and they have lobes, which means they are divided into rounded sections. The leaves also have hairs and bristles.
The flowers grow in a dense, spikelike cluster. Sometimes, there are several clusters of flowers. Each flower has five pretty petals that are pink to purple in color. These petals can be up to 1.5 centimeters long. You can see these lovely flowers blooming from June through August.
