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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Malvaceae (w/Bombacaceae & Sterculeacea) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Fall |
| Height: 4-8 feet |
| Width: 4-5 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Pavonia praemorsa (Yellow Mallow) - A rounded evergreen shrub to 4 to 7 feet tall with reddish brown stems holding 1/2 to 3/4 inch long leaves that are glossy medium green on the upper surface and pale green below and have an interesting shape with an indented blunt leaf tip and dentate margins, suggestive to some as though the leaf tip has been bit off. From the leaf axils rising up on slender stalks are flowers that last only a day, starting as a light apricot color in bud, then opening to a clear yellow and aging to a rose red. Flowering on this shrub is year round, with peak blooms in spring and fall. Plant in a dry, full sun spot with a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to infrequently - though from a wetter climate, this plant have proven tolerant of quite dry conditions and is also tolerant of near coastal conditions. Hardy to short duration temperatures down to 25°F however we lost garden plants the January 2007 freeze when it dropped to 25°F on 3 subsequent nights. This plant can be sheared to maintain as a smaller shrub or allowed to grow up as a semi-formal hedge. Flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Will sometimes reseed in the garden but has never become weedy. Yellow Mallow is native to the margins of dry coastal or inland bush plant communities on sandy soils in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The name of the genus honors the Spanish botanist José Antonio Pavón Jiménez (1754-1844). The specific epithet is from the Latin word 'praemors' meaning "to bite at the end" in reference to the leaf tips. We first saw and took cuttings of this plant from the front of the Santa Barbara home of Lockwood and Elizabeth de Forest, famed mid 20th century landscape designers and horticulturists. We have grown this plant since 1992.
This information about Pavonia praemorsa displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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