Family Malvaceae

A rare plant in Wisconsin – considered a plant of ‘special concern’.

More Information can be found at:
Wisconsin DNR
Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin
Minnesota Wildflowers

In this area, the plants seem to like to grow along the edges of streams or creeks.

This species grows wild in Buffalo County, but I’ve never found it growing naturally at Prairie Haven.  In about 2020 I collected seeds from plants growing along the roadside about 5 miles from here, and scattered them along the edges of our creek.   I didn’t find any plants coming up, so a few years later I ordered seeds from a native plant nursery.  I still didn’t find anything coming up, so then I ordered and planted several bare root plants.

The bare root plants are all doing fine – producing healthy leaves, but as of 2025, no flower stalks or flowers.  In July 2025 I found two plants, just starting to bloom, along the creek in Farmhouse Meadow.  There are no bare root plants there, but I can’t remember if I ever scattered seeds there or not.  It’s possible that it was growing there naturally, but it seems more likely that the plants came from seeds I threw out one of those early years.

6/13/2025  Leaves from one of the bare root plants

7/8/2025  Blooming in Farmhouse Meadow