''Malacothamnus abbottii'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the

mallow family Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include cacao, cola, cotton, okra, roselle and durian. There are also some genera co ...

known by the common name Abbott's bushmallow. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Monterey County, California Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county (United States), county located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 439,035. The count ...

, where it has recently been observed at only a few locations. It was historically known from a single specimen collection and the plant was presumed

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

until it was rediscovered in 1990 near San Ardo in the Salinas River drainage.Elkhorn Slough Local Plant Profile: Malacothamnus abbottii
/ref> It is now known from eleven occurrences, many of which are actually part of a single population, growing in vulnerable riverbeds near

oil fields A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presen ...

.Malacothamnus abbottii California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
/ref> Its habitat is periodically flooding riparian scrub among sandbar willows (''Salix exigua''). This is a

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

with a slender, branching stem growing erect to a maximum height over one meter. It is coated in thin white hairs and bears toothed oval leaves a few centimeters long, sometimes divided into lobes. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a cluster of a few pale pink flowers with pointed oval petals 6 or 7 millimeters long.

References

External links

Identification guide to ''Malacothamnus'' with maps and photosCalphotos image gallery for ''Malacothamnus abbottii''
abbottii Endemic flora of California Natural history of Monterey County, California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Salinas River (California) Salinas Valley {{Malveae-stub