What plant is this?

[Anonymous]

Can someone identify this plant I saw growing in the coastal hillsides near Bolinas?

- Arvind

http://165.227.59.218/~arvind/mahendraPrasad/arvindKumar/garden/bolinas/dsc00046.jpg</p>

[Anonymous]

Your plant looks like a Sidalcea to me. It's in the mallow family, along with hollyhocks and Hibiscus. It's probably Sidalcea malvaeflora, called checkerbloom. This is a perennial herbaceous native plant found in meadows and on hillsides. It can be grown from seed, but like many mallows, often falls victim to the voracious appetites of herbivores.

On the other hand, it might be Sidalcea diploscypha, which looks similar, but is an annual. Both species are widespread in North Coast habitats.

Cheers,

Lori</p>

[Anonymous]

It might possibly be the Point Reyes checkerbloom Sidalcea calycosa rhizomata which has pink flowers. Larner Seeds carries it in their catalog if you are looking to plant some. Kate</p>