Malacothamnus jonesii

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.