Description

This beautiful bush mallow is a rare find in the coastal mountains of Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties. This selection was made in the Hanging Valley region along Arroyo Seco Road in the Ventana Wilderness. It grows as a dense thicket of upright branches and lobed olive-green leaves. The leaves are soft with fine hairs, but they don’t seem to irritate the skin. In spring, each branch displays clusters of dark pink flowers, perhaps the most attractive in the genus. Like other mallows, this bush “has it all” with respect to wildlife support. It does need room to expand, however, since it will spread readily via rhizomes when happy.