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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Sphaeralcea lindheimeri (Woolly globemallow)
Carr, Bill

Sphaeralcea lindheimeri

Sphaeralcea lindheimeri A. Gray

Woolly Globemallow

Malvaceae (Mallow Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: SPLI

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

This spring-blooming wildflower has a trailing habit and forms large patches in loose sand of prairies and post-oak woodlands of southern Texas, mostly near the coast and in the inland sand plain of South Texas. It is native only to Texas; it is thus said to be "endemic" to Texas. Orange flowers adorn the plant from fall to spring.

This species is named after Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer (1801-1879) who is often called the Father of Texas Botany because of his work as the first permanent-resident plant collector in Texas. In 1834 Lindheimer immigrated to the United States as a political refugee. He spent from 1843-1852 collecting specimens in Texas. In 1844 he settled in New Braunfels, Texas, and was granted land on the banks of the Comal River, where he continued his plant collecting and attempted to establish a botanical garden. He shared his findings with many others who shared his interest in botany, including Ferdinand von Roemer and Adolph Scheele. Lindheimer is credited with the discovery of several hundred plant species. In addition his name is used to designate forty-eight species and subspecies of plants. He is buried in New Braunfels. His house, on Comal Street in New Braunfels, is now a museum.

 

From the Image Gallery

8 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Subshrub
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Fruit Type: Schizocarp
Size Notes: Stems decumbent, up to about 28 inches long.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Orange
Bloom Time: Jan , Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Sep , Oct , Nov , Dec
Bloom Notes: Reddish-orange to pinkish-orange.

Distribution

USA: TX

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low , Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
Drought Tolerance: Medium
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 1129 Collected Mar 9, 1995 in Atascosa County by Harry Cliffe

1 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-1274 Collected 2009-05-20 in Jim Hogg County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

1 collection(s) available in the Wildflower Center Seed Bank

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Sphaeralcea lindheimeri in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Sphaeralcea lindheimeri in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Sphaeralcea lindheimeri

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-28
Research By: TWC Staff

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