Red globemallow, Scarlet globemallow
| Botanical Name | Sphaeralcea coccinea |
| Common Name | Red globemallow, Scarlet globemallow |
| Family | Malvaceae - Mallow |
| Description | This is a low-growing, long-blooming perennial. The middle leaf division has up to 5 lobes. Tiny star- shaped hairs cover the foliage. The stems of this native are often prostrate at the base. |
| Mature Size | About 6" tall. |
| Bloom | June-September. The flower has 5 orange or red petals and is about ½" wide. It resembles a miniature hollyhock. The flowers often grow in clusters. |
| Interesting Facts | There are approximately 60 species of Sphaeralcea globemallows. |
| Traditional and Medicinal Uses | According to William Dunmire and Gail Tierney in Wild Plants and Native People of the 4 Corners, this plant is one of the Navajo's Life Medicines and is employed as a tonic to improve appetites and to cure coughs and colds. The Navajos are also known to have dried the leaves and used them for tobacco. Dunmire and Tierney also say that at Picuris Pueblo the roots of this plant once were pounded into a pulp, mixed with water, and plastered over broken bones, solidifying into a hard cast. |
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Photo for SFBG by Sonny Tucker
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