Malacothamnus fasciculatus, Bush Mallow
Scientific Name: Malacothamnus fasciculatus
Common Name: Bush Mallow
Also Called: Chaparral Mallow, Mendocino Bushmallow; (Spanish: Malvia)
Family: Malvaceae, Globe Mallow Family
Synonyms: (Malacothamnus arcuatus M. fasciculatus subsp. catalinensis, M. fasciculatus subsp. laxiflorus, M. fasciculatus var. catalinensis, M. fasciculatus var. laxiflorus, M. fasciculatus var. nesioticus, M. fasciculatus var. nuttallii, M. hallii, M. mendocinensis, M. parishii, M. fasciculata, M. arcuatum, M. fasciculatum, M. fasciculatum, var. laxiflorum, M. hallii, M. mendocinense, M. nesioticum, M. nesioticum var. nuttallii
Status: Native
Duration: Perennial
Size: Up to 12 feet or more.
Growth Form: Shrub, subshrub; heavily covered with dense hair, branches woody.
Leaves: Green; leaves hairy, ovate, slightly lobed
Flower Color: Pink; flowers in clusters, 5 petals narrowing at base.
Flowering Season: April to June in California; above AZ photos blooming September in Arizona.
Elevation: Up to 3,500 feet, below 2,000 feet in California, southwest edge of Mojave Desert.
Habitat Preferences: Chaparral communities, dry washes; Coastal-sage scrub and chaparral in California.
Recorded Range: Malacothamnus fasciculatus is rare in the United States where it is officially listed as native to California. However, a record exists for a plant at Spur Ranch, Maricopa Co., AZ and the plant in the photographs above was observed in the Tonto National Forest near Sycamore Creek, Maricopa County, Arizona. Malacothamnus fasciculatus is also native to Baja California.
North America & US County Distribution Map for Malacothamnus fasiculatus.
U.S. Weed Information: No information available.
Invasive/Noxious Weed Information: No information available.
Wetland Indicator: No information available.
Threatened/Endangered Information: Malacothamnus fasciculatus var. nesioticus, "Santa Cruz Island Bush-mallow" is listed as Endangered by the United States and by the State of California.
Genus Information: 11 species in Malacothamnus in the United States in California and Arizona. 1 species in Arizona, 11 species in California.
The Plant List identifies 18 accepted species in Malacothamnus.
Comments: 2 recent observations of Malacothhamnus fasiciculatus extend the known native geographic range east into Arizona. Previously all records of this species were in California.