Scarlet Globemallow

Scarlet Globemallow (Sphaeralcia coccinea)

Scarlet Globemallow is widely distributed across the Great Basin and intermountain west. Found from 3,000-7,000 feet. It occurs in many kinds of soils, aspects and slopes, though it seems to occur most frequently on lowland foothills in the sagebrush steppe and pinon-juniper transition zones. Though widely distributed, it grows in small, sporadic patches. It will grow in as little as 6″ of annual rainfall and most commonly found in areas of low precipitation. It is very cold hardy and drought tolerant.

Scarlet globemallow is a perennial with a slender, deep taproot, woody branched caudex, and sometimes well-developed rhizomes (Hermann 1966; La Duke and Northington 1978; Holmgren et al. 2005; La Duke 2016).

Scarlet Globemallow is frequently misidentified, or rather, other species of globemallow are mistakenly called Scarlet Globemallow simply because they have a “scarlet” or “red” flower. Scarlet has characteristics that when combined, easily distinguish it from other globe mallows:

• It is considerably shorter than other globe mallows. It is seldom more than 8 inches tall
• It has deeply lobed leaves with very narrow fingers
• It is rhizominous and spreads underground. Other mallows are bunch formers.
• Each stem has a limited number of flowers – usually only one

Scarlet globe mallow is a common component of reclamation mixes. It is desirable for sage grouse habitat and it’s root form make it desirable for erosion control.

In the post-production stage, Scarlet Globemallow is easily distinguished from other globe mallow species by the presence of the thick carpel surrounding the black seed.

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