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

Jones' bush-mallow, San Luis obispo or Jones' bushmallow, slender 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, 1–2.5 m, branches slender, flexuous, indument white, usually velvety, not shaggy, stellate hairs stalked, sometimes sublepidote, ca. 10–30-armed, 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 ash green, ovate, ± rhombic, or suborbiculate, unlobed or 3- or 5-lobed, 2.5–4.5(–7) cm, thin to thick, surfaces: soft tomentose-white, adaxial pale ash green, white-velvety, 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 or subracemose, flower clusters pedunculate, loose, 3(–6)-flowered, or solitary flowers;

involucellar bractlets awl-shaped to filiform, 2.5–7(–8) × 1 mm, 1/3–1/2(–2/3) 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 campanulate, not angled in bud, 5–9(–10) mm, lobes distinct in bud, narrowly triangular or deltate-lanceolate, 3–6(–7.5) × 1.5–3(–4) mm, length 2 times width, equaling to 3 times tube length, apex acute to short-acuminate, usually sublepidote to tomentose, hairs 10–30-armed, sometimes densely lanate;

petals pale pink, to 1 cm.

Mericarps

2.5–4 mm.

2.5–3.8 mm.

2n

= 34.

= 34.

Malacothamnus fremontii

Malacothamnus jonesii

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering late Apr–Jun.
Habitat Chaparral, lower margins of pine woodlands Open chaparral, foothill woodlands
Elevation 50–2800 m (200–9200 ft) 200–900 m (700–3000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[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 jonesii is known from the central Coast Ranges.

(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. densiflorus, M. fasciculatus, M. fremontii, 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 jonesii, M. gracilis, M. niveus, Malvastrum fremontii var. niveum, M. gracile, M. niveum
Name authority (Torrey ex A. Gray) Greene: Leafl. Bot Observ. Crit. 1: 208. (1906) (Munz) Kearney: Leafl. W. Bot. 6: 135. (1951)
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