Malva arborea
Tree mallow
(c) Sascha Nunheim, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Malvaceae · Type: Subshrub · Not Native
Malva arborea (Tree mallow) is a non-native California subshrub in the Malvaceae family, recognized by woody shrub habit and large flowers.
Tree mallow is a naturalized biennial found in northern coastal California regions including North Coast, northern Central Coast, and Southern Coast in disturbed coastal bluff and dune habitats at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering all year, this plant produces rose to lavender flowers with five dark veins and a dark purple base, approximately 1.5 to 2 centimeters long. Growing 1 to 3 meters tall with a generally woody base and stellate-tomentose stems, it develops a robust and distinctive form. Its large leaves, 5 to 20 centimeters wide, are heart-shaped with 5 to 7 unequally shallow lobes, densely covered in soft stellate hairs especially on the undersides. The distinctive fruit is 8 to 10 millimeters in diameter, with (6)8(9) segments that are nearly glabrous to lightly puberulent and have sharp ridged edges.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Co-occurs with 8 species; distinguished by woody shrub habit and large flowers
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed places on coastal bluffs, dunes
Elevation: < 200 m
California counties: San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Diego, Monterey
Outside California: native to Europe, especially Mediterranean
Bloom period
Malva arborea blooms All year.
How to tell it apart
vs Pelargonium: Malva has symmetrical bowl-shaped flowers; Pelargonium has irregular flowers with two upper petals distinct from three lower.; vs Sidalcea: Malva has 3 bracts forming collar below flower; Sidalcea has no bract ring (or just 1-3 tiny bracts).; vs Hibiscus: Malva has small flowers with 3 bracts; Hibiscus has large showy flowers with many fused bracts.; vs Alcea: Malva has smaller flowers (<6 cm) with 3 bracts; Alcea has huge flowers (>6 cm) with 5-11 bracts.; vs Malvella: Malva is upright and green; Malvella is prostrate forming gray-fuzzy ground mats.
Frequently asked questions
Is Malva arborea native to California?
No. Malva arborea is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Malva arborea bloom?
Malva arborea blooms All year.
Where in California does Malva arborea grow?
Malva arborea occurs in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Diego and other counties, at elevations of < 200 m.
What plant family does Malva arborea belong to?
Malva arborea is in the Malvaceae family, genus Malva.
What habitat does Malva arborea grow in?
Malva arborea grows in Disturbed places on coastal bluffs, dunes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.