''Arctostaphylos montaraensis'', known by the common name Montara manzanita, is a species of manzanita in the family Ericaceae.

Distribution

This perennial evergreen shrub is endemic to California, native only to a few occurrences in northern San Mateo County on

San Bruno Mountain San Bruno Mountain is horst fault block mountain located in northern San Mateo County, California; with some northern slopes crossing over into southern San Francisco, it is also surrounded by San Francisco Bay and the cities of Brisbane, Colma ...

and Montara Mountain, northern extensions of the

Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States. They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco. They separate the Pacific Ocean from ...

. It is found at elevations of on the two mountains, growing on decomposing granite and sandstone rock outcrops, in coastal chaparral and coastal sage scrub habitats. The plant is ranked as a critically endangered species by the California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California, due to being threatened by new developments and off trail/road walking and vehicle (e.g. motorcycles, mountain bikes) habitat degradation.

Description

''Arctostaphylos montaraensis'' is a mounding to erect

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

that can grow to heights from (on exposed granite outcrops) to . The multiple trunks and stems have a deep reddish−brown bark. The twigs and nascent inflorescence axis are coated in glandular bristles. The shrub has a dense foliage of light gray−green glandular leaves, rough and dull in texture, and up to 4 or 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of cone-shaped manzanita flowers, each white in color, and just under a centimeter long and with bristles inside. The flowering period is January through March. The small "apple−like" (Spanish ''manzanita'') red fruits are wide.

Cultivation

''Arctostaphylos montaraensis'' is cultivated as a

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

landscaping plant, for California native plant, drought tolerant, and natural habitat gardens.Yerba Buena Nursery, native plant horticulture database: ''Arctostaphylos montaraensis''
/ref>

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Arctostaphylos montaraensis'' (Montara manzanita)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Arctostaphylos montaraensis''USDA Plants Profile for ''Arctostaphylos montaraensis''UC CalPhotos gallery of ''Arctostaphylos montaraensis'' images
Arctomontaraensis

montaraensis Endemic flora of California Endemic flora of the San Francisco Bay Area Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of San Mateo County, California ~ Plants described in 1967 Taxa named by Alice Eastwood Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants Critically endangered flora of California {{Ericaceae-stub

Distribution

Description

Cultivation

See also

References

External links