Dwarf Checkerbloom

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Other Names:
Dwarf Checkerbloom, Rose Checkermallow, Prairie Checkermallow
Latin Name:
Sidalcea Malviflora ssp. virgata
Size *

The Dwarf Checkerbloom (Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata) is a rare and threatened Willamette Valley wildflower — showy rose-pink mallow flowers over heart-shaped leaves — and a tender edible green.2, 4

NOTE: Native wildflowers are dormant (no leaves/flowers) Summer–Fall.

Edible & Medicinal Uses

Both leaves and flowers are mild and pleasant, raw or cooked — toss them into salads and soups or use them like any potherb. The leaves carry tiny fuzzy hairs, so the tender young leaves are best. Like other members of the mallow family — a group used for food and medicine around the world for thousands of years — checkerbloom is rich in vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A.1, 4

Ornamental Qualities

A charming, long-blooming perennial, Dwarf Checkerbloom carries showy, rose-colored, hollyhock-like flowers on upright stems above heart-shaped basal leaves. It tends to spread into a cheerful patch — lovely in a wildflower garden, along a border, or among sun-loving groundcovers like Oregon Stonecrop, Nodding Onion, or Early Blue Violet.1

Environment & Culture

Ecology: Native to the upland prairies of the Willamette Valley and nearby, Dwarf Checkerbloom is declining as its grassland habitat disappears — so growing it is a small act of conservation. Its flowers are a valued nectar source for native bees and butterflies.1, 2

Culture: Checkerblooms and other mallows are longstanding food and medicine plants, their leaves and flowers eaten and used to soothe. We offer it with respect for that living knowledge and invite support for Indigenous-led restoration through our Charitable Giving page.4

In the Kitchen

Pick the tender young leaves and the pretty flowers and scatter them raw over salads, or wilt the leaves into soups and sautes as a mild, slightly mucilaginous green — a gentle thickener, much like its mallow cousins. (Growing and harvest details are on the Planting Guide tab.)

Attributes

  • Native Range: Willamette Valley & nearby; upland prairies, meadows1
  • USDA Zones: ~6–93
  • Light: Full sun to part shade1
  • Water: Low to moderate; moist in spring, drier in summer1
  • Soil: Well-drained; adaptable1
  • Habit: Spreading perennial; rose-pink mallow flowers2
  • Edible: Young leaves & flowers (raw or cooked)4

References

  1. Native Foods Nursery field notes; CalScape, Sidalcea malviflora.
  2. Pojar, J. & MacKinnon, A., Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 2014.
  3. USDA PLANTS Database, Sidalcea malviflora.
  4. Moerman, D., Native American Ethnobotany, 1998.

Pot Sizing Guide

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Planting Guide: Dwarf Checkerbloom (Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata)

Tip: Give it sun and let it spread into a patch — by growing this threatened prairie native you're helping conserve a declining Willamette Valley wildflower.

When Your Plant Arrives

Open the box promptly and lift your plant out gently, holding the pot rather than the stem. Leave it in its biodegradable eco-pot for now — the roots are settled and don’t need disturbing yet. Give it a slow, thorough drink until water runs through the bottom, then set it somewhere bright but sheltered, out of harsh afternoon sun, drying wind, and frost. Let it rest and acclimate there for a few days before planting, so the move from our greenhouse to your garden is a gentle one. If anything doesn’t look right, please contact customer service within 7 days of delivery and we’ll take care of you.

Choosing a Site

Light: Full sun to part shade.

Soil: Well-drained; moist in spring, drier in summer.

Space: 10–12 in apart (it spreads).

Planting Steps

Plant plugs in fall or spring.

If it came in a biodegradable eco-pot, plant it pot and all — the pot is pressed from composted cow manure, so it melts into the soil and gives the young roots their first feed. No need to remove it.

Set at the depth they grew, firm, and water in.

Watering & Care

Establishment: Water through the first season.

After establishment: Moderate; tolerates summer dry-down.

Maintenance: Cut back after bloom to tidy.

Protection

Wildlife: Nectar for native bees and butterflies.

Conservation: Rare/threatened — growing it aids its recovery.

Deer: May browse.

Harvest Basics

Season: Young leaves in spring; flowers in early summer.

Use: Both leaves and flowers are mild and pleasant, raw or cooked — into salads and soups or used like any potherb (a mallow relative, so mild and faintly mucilaginous; the leaves carry tiny soft hairs).