Malacothamnus fremontii
Malacothamnus aboriginum
fremon's bushmallow, Fremont's bush mallow, Frémont's bushmallow
gray bushmallow, Indian Valley bush-mallow
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, broadly ovate, or round, 3- or 5-lobed, 4–7(–12) cm, thin or thick, surfaces: sparsely to densely grayish- to tawny-short-stellate-hairy, basal sinus open, not overlapping.
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.
interrupted, spicate or racemose, flower clusters sessile or subsessile, subtended by conspicuous bracts, usually densely flowered, usually 10 flowers per node;
involucellar bractlets distinct or basally connate, subcordate, narrow-elliptic, or ± round, 6–15 × (1–)3–9 mm, 2/3 to exceeding calyx length.
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 strongly plicate, angled or winged in bud, 8–17 mm, lobes subcordate, ovate, or ± round, 5–11 × 3.5–10 mm, slightly longer than broad, ca. 2 times tube length, apex abruptly acuminate, stellate-hairy, hairs many-armed;
petals pale pink to rose, 1–2 cm.
2.5–4 mm.
2.5–3.5 mm.
= 34.
= 34.
Malacothamnus fremontii
Malacothamnus aboriginum
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.)
Malacothamnus aboriginum occurs principally in the central inner Coast Ranges and in the Laguna Mountains in San Diego County. There, plants have involucellar bractlets about 1 mm wide but otherwise appear to be M. aboriginum; these have sometimes been assigned to M. densiflorus. The character of the often connate, wide involucellar bractlets is distinctive of M. aboriginum.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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