Malacothamnus fremontii |
Malacothamnus abbottii |
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fremon's bushmallow, Fremont's bush mallow, Frémont's bushmallow |
Abbot's bush-mallow, Abbott's bush-mallow |
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Habit | Subshrubs or shrubs, 0.5–2(–3) m, branches stout or slender, indument white, sparsely to densely woolly, stellate hairs stalked, 20–30-armed, glandular hairs often abundant. | Shrubs, to 1.5 m, branches slender, flexuous, indument complex: white, dense, sublepidote, hairs simple, fine, not shaggy, or stellate, sessile, many-armed. |
Leaf | blades ovate, broadly ovate, suborbiculate, or reniform, 3- or 5-lobed, 4–6(–11) cm, thin or thick, surfaces: adaxial white, densely velvety-tomentose or green, sparsely hairy, basal sinus open, not overlapping. |
blades ovate, unlobed or 3-lobed, 3–6.5 cm, thin, surfaces: copiously white-stellate, basal sinus open, not overlapping. |
Inflorescences | interrupted, spicate or narrow- or, rarely, open-paniculate, flower clusters sessile or pedunculate, 6–10-flowered; involucellar bractlets subulate to filiform, 3–12(–15) × to 0.5 mm, 1/3–1 1/3 times calyx length. |
open-paniculate, flowers solitary or in pedunculate clusters, loose, not subtended by conspicuous bracts, flowers 3 or 4 per node; involucellar bractlets lanceolate, 5–8 × 1–1.5 mm, 1/2–3/4 calyx length. |
Flowers | calyx campanulate, 5.5–13 mm, lobes usually narrowly triangular, 3–10 × 1–4 mm, ca. 2–3 times as long as wide, ± equaling to 3 times tube length, apex acute or short-acuminate, densely white-lanate; petals pale pink, to 1.8 cm. |
calyx slightly winged in bud, 9–11 mm, lobes ovate-acuminate, 6–7.5 × 2.5–3.5 mm, ca. 2 times as long as wide, 2–3 times tube length, apex acuminate, densely stellate; petals pale pink, 1.5–2 cm. |
Mericarps | 2.5–4 mm. |
to 3 mm. |
2n | = 34. |
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Malacothamnus fremontii |
Malacothamnus abbottii |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering Oct. |
Habitat | Chaparral, lower margins of pine woodlands | Stream banks, open chaparral |
Elevation | 50–2800 m (200–9200 ft) | 100–500 m (300–1600 ft) |
Distribution |
CA
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CA
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Discussion | Malacothamnus fremontii occurs about the Central Valley in the inner Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and Transverse Ranges. In the northern Coast Ranges, plants with calyx measurements in the lower range have been recognized as M. helleri or Sphaeralcea fremontii var. exfibulosa; plants with a more southerly distribution and measurements in the upper range have been called M. howellii or M. fremontii subsp. cercophorus; these forms occur elsewhere in the range of M. fremontii. In the Transverse Ranges, plants are generally less woolly (M. orbiculatus) and may intergrade with M. fasciculatus. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. Malacothamnus abbottii was once considered to be extinct. It is known from three localities in southern Monterey County. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 283. | FNA vol. 6, p. 285. |
Parent taxa | Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Malacothamnus | Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Malacothamnus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Malvastrum fremontii, M. fremontii subsp. cercophorus, M. helleri, M. howellii, M. orbiculatus, Malvastrum fremontii var. cercophorum, M. helleri, M. howellii, M. orbiculatum, Sphaeralcea fremontii, S. fremontii var. exfibulosa, S. orbiculata | Malvastrum abbottii |
Name authority | (Torrey ex A. Gray) Greene: Leafl. Bot Observ. Crit. 1: 208. (1906) | (Eastwood) Kearney: Leafl. W. Bot. 6: 129. (1951) |
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