Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Malacothamnus davidsonii, also known by the common names Davidson's bushmallow and Davidson's bush mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family. Malacothamnus davidsonii is endemic to Los Angeles County, California, where it grows in chaparral, oak woodland, and other habitats on slopes. Plants previously called Malacothamnus davidsonii from Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties were described as the new species Malacothamnus discombobulatus in 2023. Malacothamnus davidsonii is an erect shrub with a thick, multibranched stem reaching 3-5 metres (9. 8-16. 4 ft) in maximum height. It is coated densely in short, woolly fibers, appearing feltlike. The thick, hairy leaves are rounded, divided into several dull lobes, and wavy along the edges. The largest leaves may approach 20 centimeters long. The inflorescence is an elongated cluster of many pale pink, hairy flowers with oval or somewhat triangular petals about half a centimeter long.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

10 - 16 ft Tall

Calscape icon
Color

Pink

Hummingbirds
Birds
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

1 confirmed and 3 likely

Confirmed Likely

Northern White-Skipper

Heliopetes ericetorum

Bucculatrix quadrigemina

Chionodes popa

West Coast Lady

Vanessa annabella