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Sphaeralcea gierischii Atwood & Welsh. This species was first named in 2002. It is a wispy plant, easily overlooked, sometime hard to see even when in flower, difficult to photograph. The mostly glabrous plants are roughly 70 cm tall, leaves to 3 cm long, to 0.5 cm wide, 3-5 parted, deeply divided, lateral lobes usually entire or only shallowly divided, stems reddish purple at base, growing on mainly flattened very gravelly benches and their slopes, biologic crusts sometimes present, primary associated species were scattered Ericameria, Atriplex, Lycium andersonii, Hymenoclea salsola, Hilaria jamesii, Larrea tridentata, and the invasive exotic Bromus rubens. In this picture you can also see a native Eriogonum inflatum combating weeds.The species was first added to the Utah Rare Plant Guide in late 2003 and became a federal candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act in 2008. On August 17, 2012 it was proposed for listing (with a comment period that ended today, October 16, 2012 and hence my finally posting a few of these at this time).This Arizona Strip endemic plant species has an incredibly restricted range along the UT-AZ border, mainly on the Arizona side where it is highly threatened by gypsum mining, and with only one population in Utah. Its total occupied habitat is under 500 acres over an area that is perhaps 10 miles by 5 miles at most, and with less than 1% of the occupied habitat occurring in Utah. Believed to be all or mostly restricted to the Harrisburg Member of the Kaibab Formation. So to say this is obscurely known from Utah is an understatement.April 30, 2005, Virgin River drainage, Washington County, Utah, at approx. 2,475 ft. elev.
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Habitat of Sphaeralcea gierischii Atwood & Welsh in Utah, looking to the north/northeast. A plant of this species is in flower in essentially the middle of this picture. Plants tend to grow on these flattened gravel, stream terrace formations and occasionally on slopes below.April 30, 2005, Virgin River drainage, Washington County, Utah, at approx. 2,480 ft. elev.
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Habitat of Sphaeralcea gierischii Atwood & Welsh in Utah, looking to the south/southwest. A plant of this species is in flower at the center-right. Plants tend to grow on these flattened gravel, stream terrace formations and occasionally on slopes below.April 30, 2005, Virgin River drainage, Washington County, Utah, at approx. 2,485 ft. elev.
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Sphaeralcea gierischii Atwood & Welsh. Habitat here starting to being invaded by the non-native invasive Malcolmia africana and others. Note the glabrous deeply divided 3-5 parted leaves with lateral lobes mostly entire, or if lobed shallowly, so. April 30, 2005, Virgin River drainage, Washington County, Utah, at approx. 2,475 ft. elev.
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Sphaeralcea gierischii Atwood & Welsh. Habitat here starting to being invaded by the non-native invasive Malcolmia africana and others. On this one plant we observed a somewhat large mostly black beetle (on the stem and also in one of the flowers of this plant). Its pollination ecology is largley unknown and its primary pollinator is probably not this beetle (and whether the beetle is helping or hurting is also not yet known).April 30, 2005, Virgin River drainage, Washington County, Utah, at approx. 2,475 ft. elev.
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