Malacothamnus fasciculatus
| Malacothamnus fasciculatus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Subfamily: | Malvoideae |
| Genus: | Malacothamnus |
| Species: | M. fasciculatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Malacothamnus fasciculatus (Nutt. ex Torr. & A.Gray) Greene | |
Malacothamnus fasciculatus, with the common names chaparral mallow and Mendocino bushmallow, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family.[1]
It is found in far western North America. [2]
Distribution
The plant is native to California and northern Baja California, where it is a common member of the chaparral and coastal sage scrub plant communities in many regions, desert chaparral in the Colorado Desert, and other habitats.
Description
Malacothamnus fasciculatus is a shrub with a slender, multibranched stem growing 1–5 metres (3.3–16.4 ft) in height. It is coated thinly to densely in white or brownish hairs.
The leaves are oval or rounded in shape, 2 to 11 centimeters long, and sometimes divided into lobes.
The inflorescence is an elongated cluster of many pale pink flowers with petals under a centimeter long.
Varieties
It is a highly variable plant which is sometimes described as a spectrum of varieties, and which is sometimes hard to differentiate from other Malacothamnus species. [1]
- Varieties of the species currently named include: [3]
- Malacothamnus fasciculatus var. catalinensis — Santa Catalina Island bush-mallow; endemic to Catalina Island, one of the Channel Islands of California. [4]
- Malacothamnus fasciculatus var. fasciculatus.
- Malacothamnus fasciculatus var. nesioticus — Santa Cruz Island bush mallow; a rare plant endemic to Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands, on which only ~120 individual plants remain. [5] It is federally listed as an endangered species.[6]
- Malacothamnus fasciculatus var. nuttallii — endemic to California in the San Francisco Bay Area, Outer South Coast Ranges, and Western Transverse Ranges. [7]
See also
- California chaparral and woodlands — ecoregion.
- Flora of the California chaparral and woodlands
- Flora of the California desert regions
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ITIS Report: Malacothamnus fasciculatus" (Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray) Greene . accessed 1.14.2014.
- ↑ USDA . accessed 1.14.2014.
- ↑ CalFlora . accessed 1.14.2014
- ↑ CalFlora Database: Malacothamnus fasciculatus var. catalinensis.
- ↑ CalFlora Database: Malacothamnus fasciculatus var. nesioticus
- ↑ Center for Plant Conservation
- ↑ CalFlora Database: Malacothamnus fasciculatus var. nuttallii.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Malacothamnus fasciculatus. |
- CalFlora Database: Malacothamnus fasciculatus (chaparral mallow)
- Jepson Manual Treatment of Malacothamnus fasciculatus
- USDA Plants Profile: Malacothamnus fasciculatus
- Malacothamnus fasciculatus — U.C. Photo gallery