Fremontodendron californicum

California flannelbush

Family: Malvaceae · Type: shrub · Native

California flannelbush is a native shrub found in the northern Coast Ranges, northern inner Coast Ranges, southern Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges in chaparral and oak/pine woodland at elevations of 180 to 2,320 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces large, bright yellow flowers 3.5 to 6 centimeters wide with distinctive silky-hairy sepals that may have a reddish base. Growing as an upright shrub 2 to 5 meters tall, typically broader at the base with branches emerging near the ground, it has a distinctive sculptural form. Its leaves are palmately lobed, 1 to 7 centimeters long, with a leathery texture and truncate to slightly heart-shaped base, creating a rough, distinctive foliage pattern. The seeds are dull brown to black, covered in stellate (star-shaped) pubescence, with an aril-like structure that adds to the plant's unique botanical character.

Habitat: Chaparral, oak/pine woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 180-2320 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, NCoRI, s CaR, SN, SnFrB, SCoR, TR, PR

California counties: Kern, San Bernardino, Tulare, Napa, San Luis Obispo, Yolo, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Tehama, Ventura, Fresno, Orange, Lake, Riverside, El Dorado, Mariposa, Marin, Alameda, Butte, Nevada, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Madera, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, Yuba, Shasta, Contra Costa, Calaveras, Solano, Lassen, Trinity, Sacramento

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.