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Taxon  Report  
Malacothamnus davidsonii  (B. L. Rob.) Greene
Davidson's bushmallow,   Tujunga bushmallow
Malacothamnus davidsonii is a shrub that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~503 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Malacothamnus
Family: Malvaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in non wetlands, occasionally in wetlands

Habitat: riparian

Communities: Northern Coastal Scrub, Coastal Sage Scrub, Chaparral

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS
Alternate Names:
JEFMalvastrum davidsonii
JEFSphaeralcea davidsonii
Information about  Malacothamnus davidsonii from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (MADA)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Los Angeles County Endemic, Some Observations Reclassified: It is endemic to Los Angeles County, California, where it primary occurs in and near Big Tujunga Canyon, Little Tujunga Canyon, and Tujunga Wash. The common name Tujunga bushmallow alludes to its geographic distribution. Plants of what has historically been considered Malacothamnus davidsonii from Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties in California were described as the new species Malacothamnus discombobulatus in 2023 based on phylogenetic, morphological, and geographic evidence. [1][2] (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 11/23/2024).