Malacothamnus: Volume 3

Book excerpt: The genus Malacothamnus (subfamily Malvoideae, Malvaceae) is composed of fire-following shrubs primarily found in the California Floristic Province and includes many taxa of conservation concern. The genus includes 21 species and 29 minimum-ranked taxa. Here I present a revised treatment of the genus incorporating data from recent morphological and phylogenetic studies (Volumes 1 and 2). This treatment includes information on life history, a discussion and illustrations of morphological characters useful for identification, and relevant conservation information. A key to all taxa recognized in this revision is presented and followed by morphological descriptions, synonymy, common names, distribution maps, blooming period, conservation status, additional notes, and photographs.