Sphaeralcea ambigua is a species of flowering plant commonly known as desert globemallow or apricot mallow, for its predominantly orange blooms. It has fuzzy, grey-green leaves. Soil and Water. Desertmallow is a true desert survivor, so it fares best in sandy or rocky soil. It’s adaptable to poor soils but cannot tolerate heavy, wet soil. DesertMallow | Desert tortoise, Plants, Tortoise as pets. Orange Globe Mallow Care. Orange Desert Flowers On Rocky Ground. DesertMallow flowers belong to the larger genus family of Malvaceae (Mallow) family, in which you’ll find plants such as Hollyhock, Hibiscus, Okra and Cotton. DesertMallow. This grayish perennial herb, often growing in large clumps, reaches a height of between 20 and 40 inches. It is also know as desertmallow, apricot mallow, desert hollyhock, mal de Ojo, and sore-eye poppy. This plant can grow up to 3 feet in height, and spreads 2-3 feet in width. Desertmallow is native across the low, intermediate and high desert zones of California, Arizona and Mexico. It grows as a multi-branched perennial shrub with an upright habit, 3-4 ft. tall and... DesertMallow is a showy shrub native to the Southwest. It grows quickly, is drought tolerant, needs no attention, and blooms almost year round. La Luna is a beautiful white flowering mallow. It's the perfect size for small sunny gardens. It has a long bloom season, often extending well beyond summer. Great accent plant with beautiful orange flowers. Will flower almost all year. While very drought tolerant, can also handle garden conditions.