Taxon Report

Malacothamnus involucratus (B.L. Rob.) K. Morse

Carmel Valley bushmallow

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Malacothamnus involucratus, commonly known as Carmel Valley bushmallow, is a perennial deciduous shrub in the Malvaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 30 to 1100 meters. Malacothamnus involucratus is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Malacothamnus involucratus (B.L. Rob.) K. Morse
Common Name:	Carmel Valley bushmallow
Family:	Malvaceae
Element Code:	PDMAL0Q0B1
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Malacothamnus palmeri (S. Watson) Greene var. involucratus (B.L. Rob.) Kearney

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial deciduous shrub
Blooming Period: Apr-Oct	Apr-Oct
Elevation:	30-1100 (100-3610)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2Q
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_UCSC; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	25
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	3
Good (B)	3
Fair (C)	2
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	17

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Monterey (MNT)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Cosio Knob (3612112), Espinosa Canyon (3612111), Hames Valley (3512088), Jolon (3512182), Monterey (3612158), Rana Creek (3612145), Seaside (3612157), Spreckels (3612156), Williams Hill (3512181)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	6	24 %
Grazing	4	16%
Military operations	2	8%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	4%
Development	1	4%

Notes



See Synoptical Flora of North America 1(1):310 (1897) for original description and Leaflets of Western Botany 6(6):121 (1951) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:
Threatened by development in MNT Co.
Taxonomy:
A synonym of M. palmeri in TJM (1993).

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 18 November 2025].