Sphaeralcea (ambigua)
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Allegra Mount Seed Lab Manager Borderlands Restoration PO Box 1191 Patagonia, Arizona 85624 949-690-2592 borderlands.restoration@gmail.com www.borderlandsrestoration.org |
| Family Scientific Name: | Malvaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Mallow family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Sphaeralcea ambigua A. St.-Hil | ||
| Common Name: | Desert Globemallow | ||
| Ecotype: | Madrean Archipelago | ||
| General Distribution: |
Desert globemallow is an excellent early successional species for restoration of degraded areas, including post desert burns (Abella et al. 2012, Wolf and Evancho 2016). It is the most xerophytic species of globemallow in Arizona occurring mostly at 3,500 feet or lower (Kearney and Peebles 1960). |
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| Propagation Goal: | Plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | Seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Propagule Collection: |
Seeds can be collected by hand by removing entire mature schizocarps from plants. They are ready for collection when they have turned light-brown and begun to open at the apex. |
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| Propagule Processing: |
The shizocarp must be broken into its separate seed-containing segments. Each segment must then be opened. This can be done by stacking a No. 8 sieve on top of a No. 14 sieve and placing material on the top. Break the material down using sandpaper until it falls through to the second sieve. Then, work the material through the second sieve. Air-winnow all material that falls through to bottom using a blowdryer. Finally, sieve through No. 14--cleaned seed will fall through and material that hasn’t broken down will remain above. Repeat process until desired results are achieved. Wear a mask or bandana to protect from irritating airborne material. Globemallow seed has been stored up to 15 years without significant loss in viability (Tollefson 2007). |
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| Establishment Phase: |
Globemallow species have an impermeable seed coat. Mechanical scarification (nicking the seed) followed by a 24-hour soaking can improve germination (Wolf and Evancho 2016). However, intense scarification can decrease germination rates due to embryo damage (Page et al. 1966). In one germination study for Sphaeralcea munroana (a cool-season globemallow in the Great Basin region), pre-germination treatment with boiling water was the most effective treatment of several tested, yielding 49% germination rates (Kildisheva et al 2013). To achieve these results, seeds were submerged for 10 seconds in 212°F water (Kildisheva et al 2013). Borderlands Restoration has so far grown globemallow without treating seeds prior to planting. Germination rates have typically been below 25%. Further treatment experiments are recommended. |
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| References: |
Abella, Scott R., et al. "Identifying native vegetation for reducing exotic species during the restoration of desert ecosystems." Restoration Ecology 20.6 2012: 781-787. Kearney, Thomas H., and Robert H. Peebles. Arizona Flora. Berkeley: U of California, 1960. Print. Kildisheva, Olga A., R. Kasten Dumroese, Anthony S. Davis. “Boiled, tumbled, burned, and heated: seed scarification techniques for Munro’s globemallow appropriate for large-scale application.” Native Plants Journal 14.1 (2013):42–47 Page, R. J., D. L. Goodwin, and N. E. West. "Germination requirements of scarlet globemallow." Journal of Range Management Archives 19.3 (1966): 145-146. Tollefson, Jennifer E. “Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia.” Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. (2007). Web. http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [2017, January 3]. Wolf, M. and B. Evancho. “Plant Guide for desert globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Gray).” USDA NRCS Plant Guide. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Tucson Plant Materials Center, Tucson, AZ, 2016. Web. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/azpmcpg12894.pdf [2017, January 25]. Borderlands Restoration Network (2018). BRN Native Plant Materials Program Database. Unpublished Raw Data. |
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Citation:
Allen-Cantú, Juniper; Claverie, Francesca; McNelis, Perin; Mount, Allegra. 2018. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Sphaeralcea ambigua A. St.-Hil Plants Borderlands Restoration Patagonia, Arizona. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/05/18). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
