Taxon Report

Lavatera assurgentiflora Kell. ssp. glabra Philbrick

southern island mallow

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Lavatera assurgentiflora ssp. glabra, commonly known as southern island mallow, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Malvaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, growing at elevations from 5 to 250 meters. Lavatera assurgentiflora ssp. glabra is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Lavatera assurgentiflora Kell. ssp. glabra Philbrick
Common Name:	southern island mallow
Family:	Malvaceae
Element Code:	PDMAL0N022
USDA Plants Symbol:	LAASG
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: May-Sep	May-Sep
Elevation:	5-250 (15-820)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G1T1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_SBBG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	12
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	4
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	7

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
San Clemente Island North (3211885), San Clemente Island South (3211873), Santa Catalina East (3311833), Santa Catalina North (3311844), Santa Catalina West (3311845)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	5
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	5	42 %
Non-native plant impacts	3	25%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	2	16%
Foot traffic/trampling	2	16%
Development	1	8%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	8%

Notes



Possibly threatened by development. Feral herbivores removed from SCM Isl.; still a threat on SCT Isl. See L. assurgentiflora in The Jepson Manual. See The California Islands: Proceedings of a Multidisciplinary Symposium, pp. 175-178 (1980) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

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 15 December 2025].