Overview of Sphaeralcea (Malvaceae) in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, U.S.A., and Description of a New Species

Abstract

Described is Sphaeralcea gierischii N. D. Atwood & S. L. Welsh, sp. nov., which is distin¬ guished from S. rusbyi by the glabrous or glabrescent herbage, with few or no stellate hairs confined to the leaf margin, larger (15-25 mm long) flowers, and restricted range and habitat, and from S. moorei in the 3-to 5-parted, narrow leaf lobes, bright green leaves sometimes suffused with red-purple, and different habitat. Two varieties are evaluated at the species level within Sphaeralcea based on dif¬ ferent morphological features, geographical distri¬ bution, and habitat: S. moorei (S. L. Welsh) N. I).

Morphological and Genetic Variation among Four High Desert Sphaeralcea Species

“…However, the correlation was significant when tested within each composite group, suggesting putative species within each composite group as being non-specific species and isolated by distance (Good and Wake, 1992). In addition, the significant correlation between geographical and morphological distances within the S. munroana and S. parvifolia composite group supports the Atwood and Welsh (2002) morphological isolation-by-distance findings within this group.…”

“…However, S. munroana is often difficult to distinguish from S. parvifolia, whereas S. grossulariifolia can be easily confused with S. coccinea and some specimens of S. munroana (Holmgren et al, 2005). Besides leaf morphology, the mature fruiting carpel characteristics, density of leaf hairs, and hair ray orientation sometimes are used as keys for taxonomists to identify specimens (Atwood and Welsh, 2002). However, these characters are seldom used in practical settings and are not efficient for field use or for non-taxonomist collectors.…”