Malacothamnus abbottii

Abbott's bushmallow

Family: Malvaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Abbott's bushmallow is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native shrub found in south-central coastal ranges of Monterey County in early-recovering post-burn woody vegetation at elevations of 135 to 485 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces pink to pale rose-colored flowers that are densely stellate-hairy, creating a soft, almost fuzzy appearance. Growing as a spreading shrub up to 2 meters tall with rhizomatous growth, it features densely hairy stems where the surface is completely obscured by stellate hairs. Its leaves are roughly round or ovate, with blades that are pale ashy- to light-green, sometimes slightly lobed with rounded edges and wedge-shaped to heart-shaped bases. The plant's dense stellate hairs cover both leaf surfaces, with the underside having a hair density two times greater than the top surface.

Habitat: Early-recovering post-burn woody vegetation, edges of openings, some plants occasionally persisting into more mature vegetation stages

Bloom period: (May)Jul-Aug(Oct)

Elevation: 135-485 m

Bioregions: SCoR (Monterey Co.).

California counties: Monterey

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