# Carolina Bristlemallow (*modiola caroliniana*)

The Carolina Bristlemallow is a beautiful flowering plant that loves to bask in the sun. Its bright yellow blooms attract many butterflies and bees, making it a favorite in gardens!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Snaps:** 4
- **Habitat:** It typically grows in coastal areas, wetlands, and sandy soils.
- **Also known as:** Bristlemallow, Carolina Mallow, Mallow Plant

![Carolina Bristlemallow](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Starr_040723-0268_Modiola_caroliniana.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_040723-0268_Modiola_caroliniana.jpg)

## Appearance

The Carolina Bristlemallow is a low-growing plant with sprawling stems and soft, rounded, slightly hairy leaves. It displays small, bright orange to reddish-orange flowers, each with five petals, which can resemble tiny hibiscus blooms.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Malvales
- **Family:** Malvaceae
- **Genus:** Modiola

## Interesting facts

- Even though it looks delicate, this plant can grow in really tough, compacted soil!
- It's related to hibiscus and cotton, which might surprise you!
- Its tiny orange flowers twirl open and close with the sun each day!
- The bristly seed pods are often called 'cheesewheels' because of their shape!

## Special abilities

- **Resilient Rooter:** Carolina Bristlemallow can regrow quickly from its deep taproot, helping it survive mowing or grazing animals.
- **Sticky Seed Spreader:** Its unique bristly fruits easily attach to fur or clothes, helping the seeds travel far from the parent plant.
- **Endurance Bloomer:** This plant produces cheerful orange flowers for many months, attracting pollinators throughout the growing season.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-60 cm
- **Spread:** 30-90 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring-fall
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits flowers for nectar
- **Pollinates:** [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) — collects pollen and nectar
- **Eats:** Southern Armyworm (*Spodoptera eridania*) — caterpillars feed on leaves

## Traits

- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Carolina Bristlemallow?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Carolina Bristlemallow?

10-60 cm

### How wide does Carolina Bristlemallow spread?

30-90 cm

### How big are the flowers on Carolina Bristlemallow?

1-2 cm

### When does Carolina Bristlemallow bloom?

Spring-fall

### Is Carolina Bristlemallow edible?

No

### Is Carolina Bristlemallow toxic?

None

### What is Carolina Bristlemallow's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Americus Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/americus-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District
- [Royston Commercial Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/royston-commercial-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District
- [Brock Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brock-park) — Texas, US · Park
- [Edenton National Fish Hatchery](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/edenton-national-fish-hatchery-north-carolina) — North Carolina, US · Aquarium

[View all places to see Carolina Bristlemallow](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/carolina-bristlemallow)

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Carolina Bristlemallow: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/carolina-bristlemallow)