Malacothamnus fasciculatus var. fasciculatus

Southern coastal bushmallow

Family: Malvaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Southern coastal bushmallow is a California native shrub found in southern coastal ranges, coastal southern California, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and desert regions of southern California in early-recovering post-burn woody vegetation at elevations of 0 to 715 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces pale pink to lavender flowers in dense, interrupted spikes. Growing as an upright shrub up to 3 meters tall with occasional rhizomatous spread, it features bright green leaves with rounded lobes and stellate hairs covering both leaf surfaces. Its leaves are typically unlobed or moderately 3 to 5-lobed, with bases ranging from truncate to heart-shaped and surfaces densely covered in star-shaped hairs. The plant's delicate flower clusters and adaptability to post-fire environments make it a distinctive component of southern California's coastal and mountain landscapes.

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

Bloom period: (Mar)Apr-Jun(Jul)

Elevation: 0-715 m

Bioregions: SCoRO, SCo, TR, PR, DSon

California counties: San Diego, Riverside, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Ventura, Orange, Merced, Santa Clara, Sutter, Monterey

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