E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Physocarpus malvaceus (Greene) Kuntze
mallow ninebark
Rosaceae (Rose family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Physocarpus malvaceus
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Medium shrub, 0.5-2 m tall; branches erect to arching, angled, minutely star-shaped-hairy when young, eventually with brown, papery, shredding bark.

Leaves:
Alternate, deciduous, stalked, the blades egg- to heart-shaped in outline, 3-5 cm long, palmately 3- to 5-lobed, the lobes irregularly double-toothed, star-shaped-hairy at least on the lower surface.

Flowers:
Inflorescences dense, terminal, half-rounded clusters of several to many stalked flowers, the stalks star-shaped-hairy; corollas white, saucer-shaped, the petals 5, nearly circular, about 3 mm long; calyces densely star-shaped-hairy, 5-lobed, the lanceolate lobes about 3 mm long, somewhat bent back; ovaries superior; stamens about 30.

Fruits:
Follicles, 2, joined at the base at least to midlength, inflated, 7-10 mm long, densely star-shaped-hairy; seeds 1 to 4 per follicle, hardened, shiny.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
White

Blooming Period:
Late Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall

Source: The USDA

Habitat / Range

Dry rocky hillsides and open forests in the montane zone; locally frequent in SE BC, rare in SC BC; E to AB and S to WY, UT and OR.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Physocarpus malvaceus

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	450	861	1585
Slope Gradient (%)	0	39	108
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	4	202	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	0	2	5
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	C
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	259
Modal BEC Zone Class	ICH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	ICH(155), IDF(76), MS(3), PP(18)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-10 5:16:41 AM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.