| Author | (L.) G. Don | |
| Distribution | Scattered in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. First collected in NC on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill in 1912 by H.R. Totten.
Native of south-central South America (according to FNA); in N.A. MA to PA, KY, and OK, south to FL and TX; also AZ, CA, OR. | |
| Abundance | Rare to uncommon on the landscape generally, but may be locally more numerous. Many locations each were documented from campuses of Duke, UNC, and NC State. | |
| Habitat | Most records are from lawns and campuses, including at the bases of buildings and in the cracks of walls. Also at parking lots, flower beds, woods edges. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late March-July. | |
| Identification | Carolina Bristle-mallow is a creeping plant that roots at the nodes; it may be many-branched and form mats. Leaves are generally semicircular in outline and deeply cut into 5-7 narrow lobes (some leaves may be more rounded and not much cut). The flowers occur on ascending stems, in leaf axils, salmon-red to red-orange and often with a darker center; when in bloom, the small but striking flowers easily catch attention. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | Linnaeus was first to name this plant (as Malva caroliniana) from plants collected in "Carolina", already at that time introduced inadvertently with wool or cotton (FNA).
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| Other Common Name(s) | | |
| State Rank | SE | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
