Taxon Report

Malacothamnus jonesii (Munz) Kearney var. gracilis (Eastw.) K. Morse

slender bushmallow

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Malacothamnus jonesii var. gracilis, commonly known as slender bushmallow, is a perennial deciduous shrub in the Malvaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, growing at elevations from 190 to 575 meters. Malacothamnus jonesii var. gracilis is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Malacothamnus jonesii (Munz) Kearney var. gracilis (Eastw.) K. Morse
Common Name:	slender bushmallow
Family:	Malvaceae
Element Code:	PDMAL0Q0J0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Malacothamnus gracilis (Eastw.) Kearn

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial deciduous shrub
Blooming Period: May-Oct	May-Oct
Elevation:	190-575 (625-1885)
General Habitats:	Chaparral
Microhabitat:	Rocky (usually)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G4T1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:	changed from 4.3 to 1B.1 on 2014-07-16

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	5
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	5

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Luis Obispo (SLO), Santa Barbara (SBA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Arroyo Grande NE (3512025), Chimney Canyon (3512012), Huasna Peak (3512013)*, La Panza Ranch (3512042), Tar Spring Ridge (3512024)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	%

Notes



Previously CRPR 4.3; rarer than originally thought. See Leaflets of Western Botany 1(18):219-220 (1936) for original description and 6(6):130 (1951) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:
Threatened by vineyard and housing development.
Taxonomy:
A synonym of M. jonesii in TJM (1993) and TJM 2; accepted in Jepson eFlora.

Selected References

CRPR List Change on 2014-07-16

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 3 November 2025].