Malacothamnus mendocinensis

Mendocino bushmallow

Family: Malvaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Mendocino bushmallow is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native shrub found in early-recovering post-burn woody vegetation and openings, typically growing up to 2 meters tall. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces pale flowers with petals up to 1.5 centimeters long, densely covered in stellate hairs that completely obscure the stem's surface. Growing with a distinctive appearance, the shrub has densely hairy stems and rounded to widely ovate leaves that are 3 to 7 subtly lobed, with leaf surfaces ranging from ashy to bright green. Its leaves have cordate bases and are covered in fine stellate hairs, with the underside of the leaves having a slightly denser hair coverage than the upper surface. The plant's intricate stellate hair structure, with hair branches less than 0.2 millimeters long, gives it a soft, almost silvery appearance in its native habitat.

Habitat: Probably early-recovering post-burn woody vegetation, edges of openings, some plants probably persisting into more mature vegetation stages

Bloom period: May-Jun

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