California flannel bush / California fremontiaFremontodendron californicum ssp. californicum
Malvaceae (formerly Sterculiaceae)
posted 04/07/11 - More often than not I see flannel bushes in yards and on the side of the highways where they're obviously planted and could be cultivars. I don't remember ever seeing them growing out in the wild. For the purposes of this Nature ID blog, they should probably be considered garden flowers. According to the records for Monterey County, it looks like they grow in the Santa Lucia Mountains where I rarely go hiking and may not for a while considering Highway 1 collapsed around the Rocky Creek area 3 weeks ago. For those out of the area and are considering visiting Big Sur this summer, you may want to check that the highway has been fixed beforehand.
