Taxon Report

Malacothamnus parishii (Eastw.) Kearn.

Parish's bushmallow

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Malacothamnus parishii, commonly known as Parish's bushmallow, is a perennial deciduous shrub in the Malvaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 305 to 455 meters. Malacothamnus parishii is ranked 1A, Plants Presumed Extirpated in California and Either Rare or Extinct Elsewhere.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Malacothamnus parishii (Eastw.) Kearn.
Common Name:	Parish's bushmallow
Family:	Malvaceae
Element Code:	PDMAL0Q0C0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial deciduous shrub
Blooming Period: Jun-Jul	Jun-Jul
Elevation:	305-455 (1000-1495)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1A
Global Rank:	GXQ
State Rank:	SX
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Bernardino (SBD)*
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Devore (3411724), Fontana (3411714), Harrison Mtn. (3411722), Redlands (3411712)*, San Bernardino North (3411723), San Bernardino South (3411713)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	1
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	100 %
Development	1	100%

Notes



Known only from the type collection (in 1895). Extirpated by urbanization. RIV Co. record from the Santa Rosa Mtns. probably erroneous, based on a misidentification of Sphaeralcea. Field surveys unsuccessful. See Leaflets of Western Botany 1:216 (1936) or original description, and 6(6):136 (1951) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:

Taxonomy:
A synonym of M. fasciculatus in The Jepson Manual.

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 4 March 2025].