Malacothamnus nuttallii

Ojai bushmallow

Family: Malvaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Ojai bushmallow is a California native shrub found in San Francisco Bay, southern Coastal Range, and Western Transverse Ranges in early-recovering post-burn woody vegetation at elevations of 0 to 1,365 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces pink to white flowers with petals up to 2 centimeters long, growing in narrowly to widely panicle-like clusters. Growing as a spreading shrub up to 6 meters tall, it develops dense stellate-hairy stems that completely obscure the stem surface without magnification. Its leaves are roughly round to widely ovate, generally moderately 3 to 7-lobed with acute or rounded lobes, featuring pale ashy to light-green surfaces with distinctive stellate hair coverage. The shrub spreads by rhizomes and often persists in recovering woodland areas, creating distinctive patches of dense, soft-textured vegetation.

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

Bloom period: (May)Jun-Aug(Sep)

Elevation: 0-1365 m

Bioregions: SnFrB, SCoRO, WTR.

California counties: San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Santa Clara

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