Iliamna rivularis
Encyclopedia
Iliamna rivularis, commonly called Kankakee Globe-Mallow or Peter's Mountain Mallow or Streambank Wild Hollyhock, is a perennial plant species in the family Malvaceae
. The plant grows 3 to 6 feet tall from a woody caudex
and produces dense raceme
s of soft lavender-pink flowers. Plants blooms from June through August. They have five to seven lobed, cordate leaves. Seeds have a very hard coat and can remain viable in the soil for more than 50 years, seed germination is often triggered after a wildfire
. This species is native to sunny mountain streambanks, meadows, and open forest slopes from east of the Cascade Range
, from British Columbia
and Alberta
to Montana
and south to Oregon
and Colorado
.
Iliamna rivularis var. rivularis, which is often called Iliamna remota, has suffered drastic population declines in the eastern USA; largely from an altered fire regimen caused by long-term fire suppression which has changed the forest canopy structure. Shading limits plant growth and seed germination, additionally the seeds germinate after scarification by fire.
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
. The plant grows 3 to 6 feet tall from a woody caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
and produces dense raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s of soft lavender-pink flowers. Plants blooms from June through August. They have five to seven lobed, cordate leaves. Seeds have a very hard coat and can remain viable in the soil for more than 50 years, seed germination is often triggered after a wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
. This species is native to sunny mountain streambanks, meadows, and open forest slopes from east of the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
, from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and south to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
Iliamna rivularis var. rivularis, which is often called Iliamna remota, has suffered drastic population declines in the eastern USA; largely from an altered fire regimen caused by long-term fire suppression which has changed the forest canopy structure. Shading limits plant growth and seed germination, additionally the seeds germinate after scarification by fire.