Iliamna rivularis, more commonly known as streambank
wild hollyhock or streambank globe mallow, disperses seeds that can lie dormant
in the soil for several hundred years, waiting for ideal growth conditions
before germinating and growing. The
plant might grow to a height of six feet.
Similar in habit to lodgepole pine, wild hollyhock
flourishes following forest fires in the mountains of Western Montana. The intense heat of fire is key to
germination. The tough outer shell of
the seed is broken down by the heat of the fire. Some horticulturists actually drop hollyhock
seeds into water after it has been brought to a boil and then allow the water
and seeds to stand overnight as a way to soften the seed shell prior to
planting.
Streambank wild hollyhock has seen great declines in
population in the eastern half of the United States as result of decades of
fire suppression. Additionally,
hollyhock thrives in the open sunlight provided after forest fires clear the
canopy. The plant, however, is not
drought tolerant.
I know of only one place in the nearby Big Belt
Mountains where I am able to find streambank hollyhock every season. As their name has it, this population thrives
along a small stream that flounces down through a narrow limestone canyon.
Photo:
U.S. Forest Service
--Mitchell
Hegman
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