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fremon's bushmallow, Fremont's bush mallow, Frémont's bushmallow

dense-flower bushmallow, many-flower bush mallow, yellowstem bushmallow

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, 1–2 m, branches slender, indument tawny, sparse to moderately dense, stellate hairs sessile or subsessile, usually overlain by 1–2–few-armed, bristly hairs to 3 mm, glandular hairs often abundant.
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, broadly ovate, or round, unlobed or 3- or 5-lobed, 3–6 cm, often leathery, surfaces: abaxial sometimes glossy green, adaxial densely tawny-hairy, 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.

interrupted, spicate, flower clusters sessile, glomerate, 10+-flowered;

involucellar bractlets awl-shaped to filiform, 5–15 × 1 mm, 2/3–1 1/2 times 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 angled in bud, 6–14 mm, lobes triangular to ovate, 4–11 × 2.3–3.5(–5) mm, slightly less to slightly more than 2 times as long as wide, equaling to 3 times tube length, apex acute to acuminate, sparsely bristly-hairy, hairs 1–few-armed, to 3 mm;

petals pale pink, 1–2 cm.

Mericarps

2.5–4 mm.

2.4–3.2 mm.

2n

= 34.

= 34.

Malacothamnus fremontii

Malacothamnus densiflorus

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Mar–Jun(Sep–Oct).
Habitat Chaparral, lower margins of pine woodlands Chaparral, coastal sage scrub ecotone
Elevation 50–2800 m (200–9200 ft) (100–)300–1100 m ((300–)1000–3600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Malacothamnus densiflorus occurs in the southern Coast Ranges. Plants with relatively short involucellar bractlets and calyx measurements in the lower range have been recognized as var. viscidus; intergradation with more typical forms is complete. Malacothamnus densiflorus intergrades with M. fasciculatus at lower elevations of the coastal Peninsula Ranges in San Diego County.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 283. FNA vol. 6, p. 284.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Malacothamnus Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Malacothamnus
Sibling taxa
M. abbottii, M. aboriginum, M. clementinus, M. davidsonii, M. densiflorus, M. fasciculatus, M. jonesii, M. marrubioides, M. palmeri
M. abbottii, M. aboriginum, M. clementinus, M. davidsonii, M. fasciculatus, M. fremontii, M. jonesii, M. marrubioides, M. palmeri
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 densiflorum, M. densiflorus var. viscidus, Malvastrum densiflorum var. viscidum, M. viscidum, Sphaeralcea densiflora, S. densiflora var. viscida
Name authority (Torrey ex A. Gray) Greene: Leafl. Bot Observ. Crit. 1: 208. (1906) (S. Watson) Greene: Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1: 208. (1906)
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