Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Malacothamnus jonesii is a rare species of flowering plant in the Malvaceae (Mallow) family known by the common name Jones' Bushmallow. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the chaparral and woodland of the Coast Ranges in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties where it has three recognized varieties: M. jonesii var. jonesii, M. jonesii var gracilis (formerly M. gracilis), and M. jonesii var. niveus (formerly M. niveus). This is an erect shrub with a slender branching stem reaching two meters or more in height. It is coated densely in velvety white hairs, appearing feltlike. The thin, gray-green leaves are several centimeters long. The flower cluster is a loose cluster of a few pale pink flowers with narrow petals each under a centimeter long.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

4 - 8 ft Tall
8 ft Wide

Growth rate

Fast

Dormancy

Evergreen

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Color

Pink, White

Flowering season

Spring, Summer

Special uses

Hedge

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Low, Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 25° F

Soil drainage

Medium

Soil description

prefers lighter soils.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Maintenance

Prune to shape in late summer or fall

Sunset Zones

7, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24*

Site type

Slopes of the Coast Rangesbelow 2, 000 ft. in San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties

Plant communities

Chaparral, Foothill Woodland

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 2 likely

Confirmed Likely

Northern White-Skipper

Heliopetes ericetorum

West Coast Lady

Vanessa annabella