Malacothamnus fremontii
Malacothamnus clementinus
fremon's bushmallow, Fremont's bush mallow, Frémont's bushmallow
San Clemente Island 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 ± round, 3- or 5-lobed, to 5(–8) cm, thin to moderately thick, surfaces: adaxial dark green and glabrate, abaxial soft-tomentose, lobes triangular to rounded, basal sinus 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.
short-spicate, flower clusters subsessile, congested;
involucellar bractlets filiform to linear, 3–9 × 0.5 mm, 3/4 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 campanulate, 5–9 mm, lobes coherent, narrowly triangular, 3.5–6.5 × 1.5–2.3 mm, ca. 2 times as long as wide, 2–3 times tube length, apex long-acute to acuminate, densely villous;
petals white, fading lavender, 1.5 cm.
2.5–4 mm.
2–3 mm.
= 34.
= 34.
Malacothamnus fremontii
Malacothamnus clementinus
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 clementinus is known from San Clemente Island and is considered endangered. In leaf characters it is similar to M. fasciculatus; in indument and calyx characters, it approaches M. fremontii. The petals are often not overlapping, a feature rare in Malacothamnus. Malacothamnus clementinus tends to propagate mainly via rhizomes and rarely produces fertile seeds.
Malacothamnus clementinus is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
