Taxon Report

Malacothamnus helleri (Eastw.) Kearn.

Heller's bushmallow

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Malacothamnus helleri, commonly known as Heller's bushmallow, is a perennial deciduous shrub in the Malvaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral (sandstone), and Riparian woodland (gravel), growing at elevations from 305 to 635 meters. Malacothamnus helleri is ranked 3.3, Plants About Which We Need More Information, A Review List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Malacothamnus helleri (Eastw.) Kearn.
Common Name:	Heller's bushmallow
Family:	Malvaceae
Element Code:	PDMAL0Q0G0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial deciduous shrub
Blooming Period: May-Jul	May-Jul
Elevation:	305-635 (1000-2085)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Riparian woodland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	3.3
Global Rank:	G2Q
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 4.3 to 3.3 on 2014-12-15

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Colusa (COL), Glenn (GLE), Lake (LAK), Napa (NAP), Yolo (YOL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Benmore Canyon (3912215), Brooks (3812262), Esparto (3812261), Glascock Mtn. (3812283), Guinda (3812272), Jericho Valley (3812274), Knoxville (3812273), Lake Berryessa (3812252), Lodoga (3912234), Lower Lake (3812285), Monticello Dam (3812251), Rail Canyon (3912244), Rumsey (3812282), Walter Springs (3812263), Wilbur Springs (3912214), Wilson Valley (3812284), Winters (3812158)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Previously CRPR 4.3; move to CRPR 1B? Location, rarity, and taxonomic information needed. See Leaflets of Western Botany 1(18):217-218 (1936) for original description and 6(6):124-125 (1951) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:
A synonym of M. fremontii in TJM (1993) and TJM 2.

Selected References

CRPR List Change on 2014-12-15

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].