Sphaeralcea digitata
Sphaeralcea digitata
Safety & Hazards
The hairs on the leaves can cause irritation to some people[1].
Cultivation Details
Sphaeralcea species from western N. America are generally species of warm, dry and very freely draining habitats. They are often tolerant of very low winter temperatures but, like many species with downy leaves, they are not very tolerant of winter wet and will often fail to overwinter in mild but wet winter areas[2]. Species in this genus generally require a warm, sunny position in a moderately fertile, freely-draining soil[2].
Propagation
Seed - it has a hard seed coat and benefits from either autumn sowing or scarification of stored seed[3]. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Softwood cuttings in a frame in early summer[2]. Division[2]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Sphaeralcea+digitata>
Pollinators
Bees
References
- [1]Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West — Moore M. · Museum of New Mexico Press; Santa Fe · 2003 · ISBN 0-89013-454-5 ↩︎Detailed information on the medicinal uses of around 150 species of plants from the Rocky Mountains of N. America. An excellent, detailed publication, written in a style that connects the writer to his readers.
- [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [3]Plants Database — United States Department of Agriculture · http://plants.usda.gov/java/factSheet ↩︎An online database with an excellent collection of fact sheets about native N. American plants.
- [4]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
- [5]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.