1	Plants annual, biennial, or perennial; mericarps: dehiscent part 10–75% of height, indehiscent part ± equaling to usually wider than dehiscent part		(2)
+	Plants perennial; mericarps: dehiscent part 50–85% of height, indehiscent part usually not notably wider than dehiscent part		(9)
2 (1)	Leaf blade surfaces silvery stellate-lepidote.		15 Sphaeralcea leptophylla
+	Leaf blade surfaces stellate-pubescent or stellate-canescent		(3)
3 (2)	Plants annual; mericarps 1.5–2 mm; leaf blades gray-green pubescent, unlobed or 3–5-lobed.		5 Sphaeralcea coulteri
+	Plants usually perennial, sometimes annual or biennial; mericarps 2–5.5 mm; leaf blades green, pale green, yellow, yellow-green, or gray, light gray, or gray-green pubescent, unlobed, or if green or gray to green pubescent, leaves unlobed, 3–5-lobed, or pedately divided		(4)
4 (3)	Leaf blades trullate or triangular, not deeply divided.		19 Sphaeralcea orcuttii
+	Leaf blades ovate, cordate-ovate, triangular, deltate, spatulate, or cordate, pedately divided or 3–5-lobed.
5	Stems (1.5–)3–10 dm.
+	Stems 1–3(–5) dm		(7)
6	Sepals 5–13 mm; petals 15–20(–25) mm		10 Sphaeralcea gierischii
+	Sepals 4.5–8.5 mm; petals 8–15 mm		17 Sphaeralcea moorei
7 (5)	Leaf blades pedately divided, lobes relatively narrow		21 Sphaeralcea pedatifida
+	Leaf blades usually 3–5-lobed, sometimes pedately divided with relatively broad lobes		(8)
8 (7)	Leaf blades 3–5-lobed or pedately divided, green to gray-green, stellate-canescent; bractlets deciduous.		4 Sphaeralcea coccinea
+	Leaf blades 3–5-lobed, yellow-green, sparsely stellate-canescent, bractlets persistent.		24 Sphaeralcea psoraloides
9 (1)	Inflorescences usually racemose, sometimes paniculate		(10)
+	Inflorescences paniculate		(15)
10 (9)	Leaf blades 3-lobed to pedately divided; inflorescences racemose.		6 Sphaeralcea digitata
+	Leaf blades unlobed, 3-lobed, or pedately divided; inflorescences racemose or paniculate		(11)
11 (10)	Stems decumbent; leaf blades abaxially white to silvery, adaxially green; coastal Texas.		16 Sphaeralcea lindheimeri
+	Stems usually ascending to erect, sometimes decumbent; leaf blades green, yellow-green, or gray-green; w Texas and sw United States		(12)
12 (11)	Leaf blades ovate to deltate, unlobed or 3-lobed		(13)
+	Leaf blades oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate and unlobed, or widely ovate or triangular to orbiculate and pedately divided		(14)
13 (12)	Stems 5–10 dm; widely distributed.		1 Sphaeralcea ambigua (in part)
+	Stems 2–2.5 dm; restricted to Beaver and Millard counties, Utah, or Nye County, Nevada.		3 Sphaeralcea caespitosa
14 (12)	Leaf blades unlobed; sepals forming beak in bud.		12 Sphaeralcea hastulata (in part)
+	Leaf blades usually pedately divided (all but proximalmost); sepals not forming beak in bud.		26 Sphaeralcea wrightii
15 (9)	Inflorescences open		(16)
+	Inflorescences crowded, at least distally.
16 (15)	Leaf blades unlobed or weakly 3-lobed; stems yellow- to yellow-green canescent or gray- to white-canescent; anthers yellow, gray, or purple; petals red-orange, apricot, lavender, pink, or white.		1 Sphaeralcea ambigua (in part)
+	Leaf blades 3-lobed or 3- or 5-parted; stems gray- to white-tomentose; anthers usually purple; petals red-orange.		14 Sphaeralcea laxa
17	Leaf blades linear to lanceolate or broadly trullate, unlobed to hastately lobed to angulate; inflorescences usually with leaves throughout.		2 Sphaeralcea angustifolia
+	Leaf blades deltate, elongate-deltate, oblong-ovate, ovate-lanceolate, subhastate, lanceolate, ovate-triangular, ovate, triangular, or cordate, if lobed, with or without elongate central lobe, or pedately divided; inflorescences usually without leaves throughout, sometimes blades pedately divided and inflorescences leafy to tip.
18	Leaf blades unlobed, elongate-deltate, oblong-ovate, ovate-lanceolate, lanceolate, triangular, ovate, or deltate, or weakly 3–5-lobed		(19)
+	Leaf blades usually strongly 3–5-lobed or pedately divided.		(22)
19 (18)	Stems yellow to yellow-green, rubbery; leaf blades deltate or elongate-deltate, sometimes lobed, center lobe sometimes elongate, lobes relatively broad; sepal tips not forming beak in bud.		13 Sphaeralcea incana
+	Stems green, gray-green, or white, not rubbery; leaf blades rounded, ovate, oblong-ovate, ovate-lanceolate, lanceolate, triangular, unlobed or lobed; sepal tips sometimes forming beak in bud.
20	Leaf blades oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate; stems 1–3(–5) dm; sepal tips forming beak in bud.		12 Sphaeralcea hastulata (in part)
+	Leaf blades ovate to triangular, unlobed or weakly lobed; stems 1.5–10 dm; sepal tips not forming beak in bud		(21)
21 (20)	Stems green to gray-green canescent; leaf margins coarsely toothed; primarily Nevada, Utah, and north.		18 Sphaeralcea munroana
+	Stems white- to yellow-canescent; leaf margins entire or crenate to serrate; primarily Nevada, Utah, and south.		20 Sphaeralcea parvifolia
22 (18)	Leaf blades 3(–5)-lobed; stems (2–)4–30 dm		(23)
+	Leaf blades usually deeply lobed or pedately divided, sometimes highly dissected; stems 1–10 dm		(26)
23 (22)	Stems (2–)4–7(–10) dm, usually sparsely canescent or hirsute; petals red-orange.		8 Sphaeralcea fendleri (in part)
+	Stems 10–30 dm, glabrous or hairy; petals red-orange, red, pink, white, lavender, purple, or rose-purple		(24)
24 (23)	Leaf blades ovate-triangular to lanceolate, 3-lobed; inflorescence tip not leafy; stem glabrous or coarse-canescent.		7 Sphaeralcea emoryi
+	Leaf blades deltate, lanceolate, ovate, triangular, or cordate, subhastate to 3-lobed; inflorescence tip leafy; stem indument soft		(25)
25 (24)	Mericarps 12–14, 3.5–5.5 mm.		22 Sphaeralcea polychroma
+	Mericarps 10, usually 3 mm.		23 Sphaeralcea procera
26 (22)	Stems (2–)4–10 dm		(27)
+	Stems 1–3(–6) dm		(28)
27 (26)	Leaf blade surfaces hirsute, sparsely pubescent, or densely soft-pubescent, lobed, appearing green to gray-green.		8 Sphaeralcea fendleri (in part)
+	Leaf blade surfaces stellate-pubescent, commonly lobed or pedately divided, appearing yellow-green to gray-green to green.		11 Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia
28 (26)	Stems green to gray-green; bractlets and leaf margins not red, reddish, or purple, usually green or tan.		12 Sphaeralcea hastulata (in part)
+	Stems gray-green to purple (red-purple basally in S. fumariensis); bractlets and sometimes leaf margins red, reddish, or purple		(29)
29 (28)	Leaf blades densely stellate-pubescent; anthers yellow; mericarps 10–14, 3–4 mm.		9 Sphaeralcea fumariensis
+	Leaf blades sparsely stellate-pubescent; anthers usually red to purple, sometimes yellow; mericarps 13, 4.5–6 mm.		25 Sphaeralcea rusbyi