About Iliamna rivularis (Douglas ex Hook.) Greene
Iliamna rivularis (Douglas ex Hook.) Greene typically grows 0.9 to 1.8 meters (3 to 6 feet) tall from a woody caudex. It produces dense racemes of soft lavender-pink flowers, blooming from June through August. Its leaves are cordate with five to seven lobes. The plant's seeds have a very hard coat, can remain viable in soil for over 50 years, and germination is often triggered after a wildfire. This species is native to sunny mountain streambanks, meadows, and open forest slopes east of the Cascade Range, ranging from British Columbia and Alberta south to Oregon and Colorado, and east to Montana. The variety Iliamna rivularis var. rivularis, often referred to as Iliamna remota and commonly called Kankakee globe-mallow, has experienced drastic population declines in the Eastern United States. This decline is largely due to altered fire regimes from long-term fire suppression, which changed forest canopy structure. Increased shading limits both plant growth and seed germination; this variety's seeds require fire scarification to germinate.
