Malacothamnus fremontii
Malacothamnus palmeri
fremon's bushmallow, Fremont's bush mallow, Frémont's bushmallow
Palmer's bushmallow, Palmer's or Santa Lucia bushmallow, Santa Lucia 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 to broadly ovate, unlobed or 3- or 5-lobed, to 7–8 cm, thin or thick, surfaces: sparsely to densely grayish- to tawny-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.
terminal, headlike or, sometimes, short-spicate, flower clusters sessile, densely flowered, subtended by conspicuous bracts;
stipules marginally connate, enclosing young flower clusters;
involucellar bractlets distinct, sometimes basally adnate to calyx, linear to lanceolate, 8–16(–21) × 1–3(–5) mm, 2/3 –1 1/3 times 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 (8–)10–16(–20) mm, lobes ovate to deltate-lanceolate, 5–15 × 2.5–5.5 mm, ca. 2 times as long as wide, slightly exceeding to 4 times tube length, apex acuminate, grayish- to tawny-hairy, hairs stellate, arms to 3.5 mm and sometimes simple-glandular;
petals rose-pink or pale pink to nearly white, 1.4–2(–3) cm.
2.5–4 mm.
2.5–4(–5) mm.
= 34.
= 34.
Malacothamnus fremontii
Malacothamnus palmeri
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 palmeri occurs in the central, outer Coast Ranges; its morphology is variable. Plants from Jolon and the Carmel Valley, Monterey County, have been called var. involucratus; they are recognized by cordate leaves, sparse indument (leaves adaxially glabrate), broad bracts to 20 mm wide subtending and partially enclosing the young flower clusters, relatively broad involucellar bractlets, calyx measurements in the lower range (to 1.5 cm), and nearly white petals 1–3 cm. They intergrade with the typical form and, in plants with short-spicate inflorescences, approach M. aboriginum. Plants from near Arroyo Seco, Monterey County, with simple and glandular hairs and generally darker rose petals have been named var. lucianus; they are otherwise similar to the typical variety.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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