Malacothamnus enigmaticus

Enigmatic bushmallow

Family: Malvaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Enigmatic bushmallow is a California native shrub found in early-recovering post-burn woody vegetation and openings at elevations of 590 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces pale flowers in dense, interrupted spikes, with individual blossoms reaching nearly 2 centimeters long. Growing as a compact shrub up to 2 meters tall, it features densely stellate-hairy stems so thickly covered that the stem surface is completely obscured. Its leaf blades are round to widely ovate, ranging from unlobed to moderately 3 to 7-lobed, with surfaces varying from ashy to bright green and a noticeably denser covering of stellate hairs on the leaf undersides. The plant's distinctive stellate hairs, with tiny branches less than half a millimeter long, create a uniquely textured appearance across its stems and leaves.

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

Bloom period: (Apr)Jun-Aug(Dec)

Elevation: 590-1900 m

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