View as Webpage

Support Calflora, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Each blue dot on this map represents a known location of Eremalche rotundifolia (Desert five-spot). These locations come from one of Calflora's many data sources.


Calflora aggregates plant distributions from thousands of sources including government agencies, land managers, iNaturalist, CCH plant specimens, and you.

Photo by David Greenberger

Blue map dots come from Calflora's aggregated data sources, but what are the flower spots for?


"Eremalche, like other Mallow relatives, exhibit nyctinasty, where the petals open with daylight and close at well before dusk. Quite often Diadasia bees, which are solitary, will spend the night within the closed flower. In the morning, when the flowers re-open but before their bodies warm, they can "bee" found curled up asleep in the flower. Those spots are likely nectar guides; the positioning is too perfect." Ron Vanderhoff 


"Maybe the five spots don't do anything at all except make people wonder why there are five spots. My question would be: what do the pollinators see? There are other species in various genera of Malvaceae that have similar spots and / or lines on their petals. These are likely nectar guides, but they may perform another function as well." Keir Morse


Reply to this email with your response!

Click Here to Donate to Calflora!

Calflora.org

501(c)3 non-profit EIN: 52-1081261

1700 Shattuck Av #198

Berkeley, CA 94709

(510) 883-3148

[email protected]

Facebook  YouTube