Lavatera olbia

Tree lavatera

Family: Malvaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Tree lavatera is a naturalized perennial found in southern California coastal areas including Laguna Canyon and Orange County in disturbed places at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces pale pink to lavender flowers with delicate petals 2 to 3 centimeters long. Growing with erect woody stems 1 to 2 meters tall that are initially tomentose and become increasingly hairy or nearly smooth with age, it develops a robust and somewhat shrubby structure. Its leaves are densely covered with star-shaped hairs, with lower leaves featuring 3 to 5 lobes and upper leaves becoming more elongated and lance-shaped, often with slight 3-lobed formations. The fruit is composed of 17 to 19 segments that are lightly covered with fine hairs or occasionally smooth.

Habitat: Disturbed places

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: SCo (Laguna Canyon, Orange Co.)

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