Keck's Checkerbloom
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Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office
Species Account
KECK'S CHECKERMALLOW
(Sidalcea keckii)
CLASSIFICATION: Federal Endangered Species (Federal Register 65:7757 pdf; February 16, 2000)
CRITICAL HABITAT: Designated in Federal Register 68:12863
pdf; March 18, 2003
Approximately 1,085 acres, consisting of three separate units: one in Fresno County (510 acres) and two in Tulare County
(one of 213 acres and one of 362).
RECOVERY PLAN: Southern Sierran Foothills plants (under development).
DESCRIPTION:
Keck's checkermallow (Sidalcea keckii), also known as Keck's sidalcea or Keck's checkerbloom, is an annual herb in the mallow family (Malvaceae). Better known members of this family include cotton, okra and hibiscus. Plants grow 6 to 14 inches tall, with slender, erect stems that are hairy along their entire length.
Leaves towards the base of the plant have a roughly circular outline and seven to nine shallow lobes arranged somewhat like the fingers of a hand (palmate). Leaves farther up the plant have fewer lobes which are more deeply divided. Both types of leaves also have irregular serrations at their margins forming "teeth."
Keck's checkermallow blooms in April and early May, producing five petalled flowers that are either solid pink or pink with a maroon center. A single plant produces one or the other type of flower but not both. Petals are 0.4 to 0.8 inches long. They are often shallowly notched at their outermost margins. Below the petals is a smaller calyx (cuplike structure) formed by five narrow green sepals (modified leaves). Each sepal is 0.3 to 0.4 inch long, with a maroon line running down its center. Below the calyx are modified leaflike structures called bracts, which are much shorter than the sepals and are either undivided or divided into two threadlike lobes.
Fruits consist of four to five wedge shaped sections arranged in a disk. Each section contains a single seed. Sections mature and separate in May, but their methods of dispersal are currently unknown. They may simply rely on gravity. Also unknown are the seeds' requirements for germination, their typical germination dates, and how long the seeds remain viable in the soil. Based on what we know about other Malvaceae species and on the extreme yearly fluctuations in above-ground plants, it is likely that seeds remain viable for several years and form a soil seed bank.
The primary pollinators of Keck's checkermallow are also unknown, but related species are pollinated by various solitary bees, bumble bees and bee flies.
DISTRIBUTION:
Keck's checkermallow grows in relatively open areas on grassy slopes of the Sierra foothills in Fresno and Tulare counties. We believe it occurs in at least two locations: the Piedra area of southern Fresno County and near the town of White River in southern Tulare County.
The entire species was thought to be extinct until 1992 when a population was discovered near Mine Hill in Tulare County. Unfortunately, this population seems to have been extirpated by 2002.
Using knowledge of habitat preferences gained from the Mine Hill site, botanists resurveyed a location in the Piedra area of Fresno County where the plant had been documented in 1939, and rediscovered the population in 1998. This population is now protected in the Sierra Foothills Conservancy's Tivy Mountain Preserve.
The species is associated with serpentine soils. Serpentine soils are unusually low in nutrients and high in heavy metals. These soil properties tend to restrict the growth of many competing plants. But serpentine soils are fairly rare. This limits the range of plants like Keck's checkermallow that are adapted to grow on them.
THREATS:
Keck's checkermallow is threatened by urban development, competition from non-native grasses, and agricultural land conversion, Cattle grazing at the current level does not appear to be detrimental and may be an important factor protecting the plant from encroachment by non-native grasses. Cattle do damage plants directly by eating and trampling them, however, so unmanaged increases in grazing during months of flowering or seed maturation could pose a threat.
The species' low population numbers, particularly at Mine Hill, leave it vulnerable to random environmental events ranging from bad weather to disease to damaging insect infestations. The isolation of remaining population exacerbates these vulnerabilities by precluding recolonization of extirpated populations. Inbreeding depression and loss of genetic variability may also be causes for concern in such small isolated populations.
STATE & CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY STATUS:
The California Native Plant Society has placed Keck's checkermallow on List 1B (rare or endangered throughout its range).
REFERENCES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 2000. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered Status for Sidalcea keckii (Keck's checker-mallow) from Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Portland, Oregon.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 2003. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Designation of Critical Habitat for Sidalcea keckii (Keck's checkermallow). Portland, Oregon.
General Information about California Plants
Photo credit: Keck's Checkerbloom © 2000 Chuck Peck Calphoto ID: 0000 0000 0103 0037
Prepared by Endangered
Species Div., Sacramento Fish & Wildlife
Office, U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service
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