About Malva assurgentiflora (Kellogg) M.F.Ray
Malva assurgentiflora (Kellogg) M.F.Ray is a sprawling perennial herb or bushy shrub. It usually grows over 1 meter tall, and reaches a maximum height close to 4 meters. Its leaves can grow up to 15 centimeters in both length and width, and are divided into 5 to 7 toothed lobes. The plant produces showy flowers, each with five deep pink petals marked with dark veins. These petals are somewhat rectangular in shape, and measure between 2.5 to 4.5 centimeters long. Its disc-shaped fruit is split into 6 or 8 segments, with one seed held inside each segment. This species is endemic to southern California, and is native only to the Channel Islands. It also occurs as a cultivation escapee at localized sites on coastal mainland California and Baja California. It can additionally be found growing sparingly in parts of Guatemala, cooler mountainous or Mediterranean regions of western South America, New Zealand, and Australia. Malva assurgentiflora has been cultivated in California for a very long time, used as an ornamental plant and a windbreak.
