Ink & Penstemon

Steve Hegji with his wildflower photographs has been a long enough contributor to the blog that it was high time that we had a whole guest post from him—

Malva neglecta. Photo credit Steve Hegji.

Sometime during each work day I try to get out and take a walk along the Jordan River Parkway. This week I noticed that a common weed known as Cheeses (Malva neglecta) was still in bloom. If you’ve gardened in North America, you’ve fought with this plant before. It starts early in the spring, and left alone, will eat the city in which you reside. The California Plant Names website explains the name derivations for the genus and specific epithet as:

Malva: a Latin name for mallow, taken from the Greek malache, referring to the leaves.

neglecta: neglected or overlooked—I imagine the specific epithet refers to its sprawling, low-growing habit, which makes it easy to miss when young. But I prefer to think of it as what you get if you neglect any part of your garden.

It’s a member of the Mallow family – Malvaceae – and is a native of Eurasia. I used mumble under my breath while trying to dig one of these out of a garden bed. However, since I’ve become more familiar with Utah wildflowers, I look more kindly on this weed – just before I yank it out. Not because of any merits of its own – but because of the wonderful family of plants to which it belongs. (By the way, the immature fruits of Cheeses are edible and considered quite tasty.)

The genus Sphaeralcea, commonly known as Globemallow, has fourteen different species that can be found in Utah. I cherish them because they are one of the very few orange-flowered plants native to Utah. Get out into the foothills and west desert in the spring to see them. A large colony of Globemallow is stunning!

There are three different species of the  genus Sidalcea, commonly known as Checker, in Utah. It’s a fairly tall plant that grows near wet spots and has flowers varying from white to rose-pink. It has an interesting feature – the shape of the leaves at the base are radically different from those at the top, with the ones in the middle appearing to be hybrid of the two.

Wild hollyhock, Iliamna rivularis, would be my personal choice for growing in your garden. It can grow up to 5 feet tall, but is nicely shaped, with beautiful foliage, and has VERY elegant, pinkish flowers. Like Checker, it also grows in wetter, shadier areas.

And of course the genus Althea, which is the domesticated Hollyhock, can grow very tall and has enormous flowers. I’m afraid of them.

So, don’t neglect the mallows – dig up your Cheeses, but make time to get into the mountains and see some beautiful, wild, Mallow family plants.

Steve Hegji is a semi-retired systems analyst, hiking enthusiast, and wildflower enthusiast. A member of the Utah Native Plant Society, each year Steve averages 250 trail miles, climbing 80,000 feet of elevation in pursuit of new plants and old friends.