Malva assurgentiflora subsp. assurgentiflora

Northern island mallow

Family: Malvaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Northern island mallow is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native shrub found in coastal bluff habitats at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering throughout the year, this plant produces purple or pink flowers with entire petal tips in compact clusters. Growing with a spreading, multi-branched form to approximately 1 to 2 meters tall, it develops woody stems with a distinctive branching pattern. Its leaves are uniquely bicolored, with white, densely stellate-hairy undersides and green to grayish-green upper surfaces that are sparsely to moderately stellate-hairy. The shrub creates a distinctive visual texture with its complex leaf coloration and continuous flowering cycle.

Habitat: Coastal bluffs

Bloom period: All year

Elevation: < 400 m

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