The BioFiles - Bill Hubick

Santa Lucia Bushmallow (Malacothamnus lucianus)

Source: Wikipedia

Malacothamnus lucianus

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Malacothamnus
Species:
M. lucianus
Binomial name
Malacothamnus lucianus
Synonyms
  • Malacothamnus palmeri var. lucianus Kearney

Malacothamnus lucianus is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Santa Lucia bushmallow and Arroyo Seco bushmallow and by the cultivar name Hanging Valley bushmallow. It is endemic to Monterey County, California, United States, where it is known from the Santa Lucia Mountains.[1][2]

Taxonomy

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Malacothamnus lucianus was first described in 1955 as Malacothamnus palmeri var. lucianus but treated as a synonym of Malacothamnus palmeri var. palmeri or simply Malacothamnus palmeri until elevated to the rank of species in 2021.[3][1][4][5]

Identification

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Malacothamnus lucianus is distinguished from all other species in the genus by the combination of a capitate to subcapitate inflorescence and relatively long glandular trichomes. Malacothamnus lucianus is distinguished from both Malacothamnus palmeri and Malacothamnus involucratus by having many rays of the stellate trichomes on the stem being 1–3 mm long and many of the glandular trichomes being 0.3-1.4 mm long. Conversely, in Malacothamnus palmeri and Malacothamnus involucratus most rays of the stellate trichomes on the stem are less than 1 mm long and the glandular trichomes are less or equals 0.1 mm long. Malacothamnus lucianus also often has somewhat of a rancid odor, which hasn't been recorded in Malacothamnus palmeri and Malacothamnus involucratus.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Morse, K. 2021. A morphological assessment of the Malacothamnus palmeri complex (Malvaceae). Crossosoma 44: 1–27.
  2. ^ a b Morse, K. 2023. Malacothamnus Volume 3: A Revised Treatment of the Genus Malacothamnus (Malvaceae) Based on Morphological and Phylogenetic Evidence.
  3. ^ Kearney, T. H. 1955. “Notes on Malvaceae VII: A New Variety in Malacothamnus.” Leaflets of Western Botany VII (12):289–90.
  4. ^ Bates, D. M. 2015. “Malacothamnus.” In Flora of North America North of Mexico, edited by Flora of North America Editorial Committee, 6:280–85. New York and Oxford.
  5. ^ Slotta, T. 2012. Malacothamnus. In B. Baldwin, D. Goldman, D. Keil, R. Patterson, T. J. Rosatti, and D. H. Wilken [eds.], The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California, 884–885. University of California Press.
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[[Category:Flora without expected TNC conservatio