Because they share a common ancestry many genera and species in a particular plant family also share structural features. For the Malvaceae, the filaments of the many stamens are fused into a tube surrounding the style which is in turn fused to the petal bases. This floral feature is found in both Oregon Checkerbloom and in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), another member of the mallow or hibiscus family.
DISTRIBUTION: Meadows and streambanks from the Klamath and High Cascade Ranges to the northern and central High Sierra Nevada and Great Basin Province; 1100-3000 m.
