توضیحات
Sphaeralcea ambigua, is a species of flowering plant commonly known as apricot mallow, is a member of the genus Sphaeralcea in the mallow family (Malvaceae)
It is a perennial shrub native to parts of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico in the United States and Sonora and Baja California in northwest Mexico. It grows well in alkaline soil, both sandy or clay, usually in the company of creosote bush scrub and desert chaparral habitats, at 150–2,500 metres (490–8,200 ft) in elevation. It is found in the Mojave Desert, Great Basin desert, and Sonoran Desert ecoregions. It is a larval host to the common checkered skipper, northern white skipper, painted lady, small checkered skipper, and West Coast lady
The plant is used by members of the Shoshoni tribe of Native Americans, as well as other Indigenous people and settlers in the region, as a food source and medicinal plant
Cultivation
Sphaeralcea ambigua is cultivated as an ornamental plant by specialty plant nurseries for use in desert and drought tolerant gardens, and a native plant its desert region’s natural landscaping and habitat restoration projects. It requires the following conditions
Exposure: full sun
Water: natural rainfall; supplemental water will increase flowering
Soil: desert soil, tolerant of some clay, prefers good drainage
Propagation: easy by seed
Maintenance: low
ختمی اپریکوت آمریکایی گونه ای از خانواده ختمی بومی صحرا های آمریکا است
بخاطر زادگاه صحرایی این گونه ، گیاهی مقاوم و کم آب است
این گیاه براحتی در خاک های آهکی صحرایی رشد میکند و نگهداری خاصی نیاز ندارد
آبیاری کمی لازم دارد و حتی می تواند با بارش بار به تنهایی و بدون آبیاری انسان رشد کند
رنگ گلها نارنجی زرد آلویی (ایپریکوت) است
بومیان قدیمی آمریکایی از آن به عنوان گیاه دارویی استفاده میکردند
بر خلاف دیگر ختمی ها، دانه های این گونه بسیار ریز و کوچک هستند
