Malacothamnus arcuatus
Bewildering bushmallow
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Family: Malvaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Malacothamnus arcuatus (Bewildering bushmallow) is a native California shrub in the Malvaceae family.
Bewildering bushmallow is a California native shrub found in open areas, growing up to 3 meters tall with a spreading habit. Flowering from late spring to summer, this plant produces pale flowers with petals up to 2 centimeters long, nestled among dense, stellate hairs that completely cover the plant's surface. Growing with erect to occasionally spreading stems densely covered in star-shaped grayish hairs, the plant has a distinctive appearance that makes identification easy. Its rounded to widely ovate leaves are ashy to bright green, often slightly lobed with rounded edges, and feature a dense covering of stellate hairs that make the leaves appear soft and fuzzy. The plant's bracts and flower structures are notable for their intricate hair patterns, with green to reddish bractlets surrounding delicate flower clusters.
How to tell it apart
vs Sphaeralcea: Malacothamnus has flowers clustered in leaf axils; Sphaeralcea has flowers in an elongated spike-like arrangement.; vs Sidalcea: Malacothamnus is a woody shrub in chaparral; Sidalcea is herbaceous in meadows and moist areas.; vs Malva: Malacothamnus is a native chaparral shrub with axillary clusters; Malva is a weedy herb with flowers along stems.; vs Ribes: Malacothamnus has mallow flowers with fused stamens; Ribes has tubular flowers and produces berries.; vs Brickellia: Malacothamnus has 5-petaled mallow flowers; Brickellia has fuzzy composite flower heads without petals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Malacothamnus arcuatus native to California?
Yes. Malacothamnus arcuatus is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Malacothamnus arcuatus belong to?
Malacothamnus arcuatus is in the Malvaceae family, genus Malacothamnus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Malacothamnus arcuatus var. arcuatus — Western bewildering bushmallow
- Malacothamnus arcuatus var. elmeri — Eastern bewildering bushmallow
- Malacothamnus astrotentaculatus — Starry-tentacled bushmallow
- Malacothamnus clementinus — San clemente island bushmallow
- Malacothamnus davidsonii — Tujunga bushmallow
- Malacothamnus densiflorus — Many-flowered bush mallow
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
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.