Taxon Report

Malacothamnus palmeri (S. Watson) Greene

Santa Lucia bushmallow

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Malacothamnus palmeri, commonly known as Santa Lucia bushmallow, is a perennial deciduous shrub in the Malvaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, growing at elevations from 60 to 360 meters. Malacothamnus palmeri is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Malacothamnus palmeri (S. Watson) Greene
Common Name:	Santa Lucia bushmallow
Family:	Malvaceae
Element Code:	PDMAL0Q0B5
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Malacothamnus palmeri (S. Watson) Greene var. palmeri

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial deciduous shrub
Blooming Period: May-Jul	May-Jul
Elevation:	60-360 (195-1180)
General Habitats:	Chaparral
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:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_SBBG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	10
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	2
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	7

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Luis Obispo (SLO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Atascadero (3512046), Cambria (3512151), Cypress Mountain (3512058), Morro Bay North (3512047), Pebblestone Shut-in (3512161), Pico Creek (3512152)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	5
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	3	30 %
Erosion/runoff	2	20%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	20%
Development	1	10%
Groundwater pumping	1	10%
Non-native plant impacts	1	10%

Notes



See Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 12:250 (1877) for original description and Leaflets of Botanical Observation and Criticism 1(15): 208 (1906) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:
Threatened by alteration of fire regimes.
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 3 November 2025].