May EcoQuest: Cowboy’s Delight
Scarlet globemallow, known charmingly as cowboy’s delight, or scientifically as Sphaeralcea coccinea, is a beautiful prairie flower to look for this spring.
Cowboy’s delight is in the Malvaceae or mallow family—which is composed of plants like hibiscus, mallow, hollyhock, okra, and even cacao (where chocolate comes from)! The Malvaceae family is characterized as mucilaginous plants with flowers that have numerous stamens fused into a central column (a great example is the hibiscus flower).
The genus Sphaeralcea is composed of perennial herbs with star-shaped hairs, and flowers that are orange to red, sometimes pink, and are commonly found in the western half of the North America. Parts of the plant are mucilaginous and known for their use in soothing burns, especially sunburns. In Colorado there are seven species in this genus, but S. coccinea is the most common and widespread in Colorado—other Sphaeralcea species are less common or located primarily around the edges of the state.
Scarlet globemallow is a low-growing perennial herb with deep orange to pink flowers. It is often found on sandy or rocky soil on roadsides or the prairie around 3,500 – 9,000 feet and is found blooming from May to September. The leaves are alternate, palmately divided and lobed.
It is grazed by deep and pronghorn, but mostly inedible to domestic animals. There are many uses by the Lakota and Cheyenne, including as a salve for burns and a sweet-tasting medicinal tea from the ground roots, stems, and leaves.
Connect with your inner cowboy by finding this delightful flower on the prairie. Share to iNaturalist to contribute to our global understanding of this species!
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