Malacothamnus davidsonii - Davidson's Bush Mallow
Malacothamnus davidsonii is a native California endemic. Davidson's Bush Mallow grows in the coastal sage scrub of the San Gabriel Mountain Range with a few plants also found in the interior parts of Ventura County and south of the San Francisco Bay area. Malacothamnus davidsonii is quite drought tolerant. This shrub grows to 4-5 feet tall and wide. Malacothamnus davidsonii is listed as imperiled by CNPS but is offered by a number of native plants nurseries. Davidson's Bush Mallow spreads by underground runners and perfoms well within its range in disturbed roadside and garden settings. Malacothamnus davidsonii blooms in late Spring through Summer with a smattering of blooms beyond. The rich pink flowers are fragrant and attractive to butterflies including the Painted Lady, Northern White Skipper, Cloudless Sulfur, White Checkered Skipper, and the Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly. Amusingly this plant ditched my drip system. The plant at the drippers slowly fizzled out but several robust new plants started growing in the dry zone about 4 feet away. I guess Malacothamnus davidsonii doesn't like to drink treated water.
Pink flower and fuzzy foliage of Malacothamnus davidsonii - Davidson's Bush Mallow. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.
Other plant pages from the genus Malacothamnus featured on this site:
Malacothamnus clementinus * San Clemente Bush Mallow
Malacothamnus densiflorus * Yellow Stem Bush Mallow
Malacothamnus fasciculatus * Chaparral Bush Mallow