Malacothamnus fasciculatus (Torrey & A. Gray) E. Greene

 

=Malacothamnus fasciculatus ssp. laxiflorus

 

=Malvastrum fasciculatum

 

Malvaceae (Mallow Family)

 

Native

 

Chaparral Mallow 

 

Bush Mallow  

                             June Photo          

 

 Plant Characteristics:  Shrub, 1-5 m. tall, with long slender wandlike branches covered with soft short tomentum; lf. blades round-ovate, mostly shallow lobed, somewhat bicolored, 2-4 cm. wide, densely canescent beneath, less so and somewhat greener above, crenate or crenate-dentate; petioles 0.5-1 cm. long; panicle few-branched, the ultimate divisions elongate, commonly racemose; bractlets linear, 2-4 mm. long; calyx 6-8 mm. long, stellate-pubescent, the lobes deltoid, acute to obtuse; petals pink, 12-18 mm. long; carpels stellate-pubescent at summit, 2.5-3mm. long; seeds ca. 1.5 mm. long.

 

Habitat:  San Bernardino Co. to Riverside, Orange and Ventura cos. below 5500 ft.  May-Aug.

 

Name:  Greek, malakos, soft and thamnos, shrub.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 566).  Fasiculatus refers to the clustered position of the leaves.  (Dale 146).

 

General:  Rare in the study area, having been found only twice, once just westerly of the Delhi Ditch and again on the path from 23rd St. to Mariners Dr. The plant near the Delhi Ditch was destroyed in early l987 during the construction of an equestrian and bicycle path from end of University Dr. to Jamboree Rd.  Photographs were of this plant.  (my comments).     Marsh Mallow, Althea officinalis, a member of the Mallow Family, once provided a gluey substance from its roots to make marshmallows.  This confection is made now from a mixture of corn syrup, sugar, albumen and gelatin.  (Dale 136).    A. officinalis is not listed in Munz, so I presume it is not a Southern Calif. plant. (my comment).    A genus of 20 species of southwest North America.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 566).       Var. laxiflorus not recognized.  (Hickman, Ed. 1343).

 

Text Ref:  Dale 136; Hickman, Ed. 752; Munz, Calif. Flora 126; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 568; Roberts 29.

Photo Ref:  May-June 85 # 10,11.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.

 

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 112.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 1/21/03.

                                                       

                                            June Photo