Malacothamnus fasciculatus
Malacothamnus fasciculatus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malvales |
Family: | Malvaceae |
Genus: | Malacothamnus |
Species: | M. fasciculatus
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Binomial name | |
Malacothamnus fasciculatus |
Malacothamnus fasciculatus, with the common name chaparral mallow, 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 southern California and northern Baja California, where it is a common member of the chaparral and coastal sage scrub plant communities.
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 Outer South Coast Ranges, and Western Transverse Ranges.[7]
References
- ^ a b 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
- CalFlora Database: Malacothamnus fasciculatus (chaparral mallow)
- Jepson Manual Treatment of Malacothamnus fasciculatus
- USDA Plants Profile: Malacothamnus fasciculatus
- Malacothamnus fasciculatus — U.C. Photo gallery
- Malacothamnus
- Flora of California
- Flora of Baja California
- Flora of the California desert regions
- Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
- Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
- Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
- Natural history of the Channel Islands of California
- Natural history of the Colorado Desert
- Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
- Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area
- Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains
- Natural history of the Transverse Ranges
- Malveae stubs