Globemallow

Globemallow blooms with clusters of orangish flowers near the top of its stems.

NPS/

Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) can be found throughout the deserts of the American Southwest and Mexico. It is quite common on Parashant and some years can be seen blanketing vast stretches of land with its eye-catching flowers. Globemallow flowers early and often with multiple flowering cycles throughout the year. This abundance of flowers at various times of year makes it especially important for bees and hummingbirds providing them with valuable nectar and pollen when other flowers may be dormant.

Globemallow can be identified by its grayish-green fuzzy leaves and brilliant orange flowers. Some globemallow flowers appear to be more reddish-orange while others are more yellow-orange but they are most commonly an apricot-orange color. Keep an eye out for this beauty all around Parashant in the spring, summer, or fall.

 

In years of ample water supplies, orange blossoms from the globemallow cover large expanses of the monument.

NPS/ Kenneth Ingham