Malacothamnus astrotentaculatus

Starry-tentacled bushmallow

Family: Malvaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Starry-tentacled bushmallow is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native shrub found in early-recovering post-burn woody vegetation at elevations of 400 to 1,070 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces pale to bright pink flowers in dense, interrupted spikes with distinctive linear bracts. Growing as a compact shrub up to 1.25 meters tall with densely stellate-hairy stems, its appearance is notably characterized by its ashy to bright-green leaves. Its leaf blades are roughly round to widely ovate, with 3 to 7 rounded or acute lobes and a heart-shaped base, covered in stellate hairs that are more dense on the leaf undersides. The plant's unique calyx features thread-like outgrowths and stellate hairs, giving it a distinctive textural appearance in its native habitat.

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

Bloom period: May-Jul(Aug)

Elevation: 400-1070 m

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