Malacothamnus orbiculatus is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Tehachapi bushmallow and round-leaved bushmallow. It occurs in California, where it is common after burns on the desert-facing slopes of mountains, and Arizona, where it is currently only known from a few locations. Malacothamnus orbiculatus is occasionally treated within Malacothamnus fremontii but morphological, phylogenetic, and geographic evidence shows them to be distinct species, though there is a small zone of intergradation where their geographic ranges meet. [1] [2] [3]