Horsfordia alata
Pink velvet-mallow
(c) Alan Rockefeller, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Malvaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Horsfordia alata (Pink velvet-mallow) is a native California shrub in the Malvaceae family, recognized by key differences in stem color, leaf shape, and fruit wing dimensions.
Pink velvet-mallow is a California native shrub ranked 4.3 by CNPS, found in the southern desert regions of California in rocky canyons and washes at elevations of 100 to 600 meters. Flowering from December to April, this plant produces delicate pink flowers on short stalks 2 to 17 millimeters long. Growing to 1 to 2.5 meters tall with gray-yellow stems, it forms a distinctive shrubby structure with ovate leaves that have slightly heart-shaped bases and finely toothed edges. Its leaves measure 4 to 11 centimeters long, with petioles shorter than the leaf blade and acute tips. The fruit is approximately 7 to 8 millimeters in diameter, generally purple-tinted on top and divided into 9 to 10 segments.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; key differences in stem color, leaf shape, and fruit wing dimensions
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky canyons, washes
Elevation: generally 100-600 m
Outside California: southwestern Arizona, northwestern Mexico
Bloom period
Horsfordia alata blooms Dec-Apr.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
How to tell it apart
vs Abutilon: Horsfordia mericarps are winged in their upper half (samara-like) and often purple-tipped; Abutilon mericarps are wingless, beaked, and awned.; vs Sphaeralcea: Horsfordia is a tall wand-like shrub with winged mericarps; Sphaeralcea (globemallow) is lower and herbaceous-based with orange-red flowers and wingless kidney-shaped mericarps.; vs Malacothamnus: Horsfordia has 1-2-seeded winged mericarps on a slender yellowish stem; Malacothamnus (bushmallow) has crowded pink flowers in interrupted spikes and unwinged 1-seeded mericarps.; vs Sida: Horsfordia is a tall (2-3 m) shrub with mericarps winged above; Sida is a low stiff subshrub with small wingless, often 2-awned mericarps.; vs Herissantia: Horsfordia has firm, winged, purple-topped mericarps in a persistent fruit; Herissantia has a papery inflated schizocarp whose mericarps fall away separately.
Frequently asked questions
Is Horsfordia alata native to California?
Yes. Horsfordia alata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Horsfordia alata bloom?
Horsfordia alata blooms Dec-Apr.
What plant family does Horsfordia alata belong to?
Horsfordia alata is in the Malvaceae family, genus Horsfordia.
Is Horsfordia alata rare or endangered?
Horsfordia alata carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
What habitat does Horsfordia alata grow in?
Horsfordia alata grows in Rocky canyons, washes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.