Taxon Report
Malacothamnus jonesii (Munz) Kearney var. niveus (Eastw.) K. Morsefragrant-snow bushmallow |
 Copyright © 2017 Keir Morse |
Species Description:
Malacothamnus jonesii var. niveus, commonly known as fragrant-snow bushmallow, is a perennial deciduous shrub in the Malvaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, and Cismontane woodland, growing at elevations from 225 to 1075 meters. Malacothamnus jonesii var. niveus is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.
Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Malacothamnus jonesii (Munz) Kearney var. niveus (Eastw.) K. Morse |
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Common Name: |
fragrant-snow bushmallow |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Element Code: | PDMAL0Q0H0 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial deciduous shrub |
| Blooming Period: (Mar-Apr)May-Jun(Jul-Oct) | (Mar-Apr)May-Jun(Jul-Oct) |
| Elevation: | 225-1075 (740-3525) |
| General Habitats: | Chaparral, Cismontane woodland |
| Microhabitat: | Burned areas |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 4.3 |
| Global Rank: | |
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State Rank: |
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| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | |
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CRPR Changes: |
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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 |
| California Endemic: True | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 0 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 0 | 0 % | |
Notes
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Threats: |
| Threatened by grazing, nonnative plants, development, altered flood/tidal regime, and mining. Potentially threatened by hybridization with other Malacothamnus taxa. |
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Taxonomy: |
| Formerly treated as a synonym of M. jonesii s.l. The calyces of M. jonesii var. niveus have longer stellate trichome rays, averaging greater than or equal to 0.5 mm, versus those of M. jonesii vars. jonesii and gracilis which average less than or equal to 0.4 mm. Intermediates with var. jonesii occur in west-central SLO Co. and intermediates with var. gracilis occur near the border of SLO and SBA cos. |
Selected References
| Proposed addition to CRPR 4.3, G4T3 / S3 (2024) |
| Leaflets of Western Botany 1(18): 213-220 |
| Malacothamnus 3 (2023) |
| Malacothamnus 3 (2023) |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 20 January 2025].