''Arctostaphylos myrtifolia'' is a rare species of

manzanita Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus ''Arctostaphylos''. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from Southern British Columbia and Washington to Or ...

known by the common name Ione manzanita. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the

Sierra Nevada foothills :''See Sierra Nevada for general information about the mountain range in the United States.'' The ecology of the Sierra Nevada, located in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, is diverse and complex: the plants and animals are a significan ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It grows in the chaparral and woodland

plant community A plant community is a collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The components of each plant ...

on a distinctive acidic soil series in western Amador and Calaveras Counties. There are only about 17 occurrences, but the plant is abundant in some areas of its limited range.The Nature Conservancy
/ref> This is a federally listed

threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of '' critical depen ...

Description

''Arctostaphylos myrtifolia'' is a red-barked, bristly shrub reaching just over a meter in maximum height. The small bright green leaves are coated in tiny glandular hairs and are shiny but rough in texture. They are less than 2 centimeters long. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

is a raceme of urn-shaped manzanita flowers on bright red branches. The fruit is a cylindrical drupe only a few millimeters long.

Conservation

A major threat to this rare endemic plant is a pair of fungal diseases. A branch canker caused by species of ''

Fusicoccum ''Fusicoccum'' is a genus of anamorphic fungi in the family Botryosphaeriaceae The Botryosphaeriaceae are a family of sac fungi (Ascomycetes), which is the type representative of the order Botryosphaeriales. According to a 2008 estimate, th ...

'', including '' F. aesculi'', causes some mortality, and root and crown rot caused by ''

Phytophthora cinnamomi ''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' is a soil-borne water mould that produces an infection which causes a condition in plants variously called " root rot", "dieback", or (in certain ''Castanea'' species), "ink disease". The plant pathogen is one of the wo ...

'' has destroyed entire stands of the manzanita and prevented its regrowth in patches of infested soil.Swiecki, T. J. and E. A. Bernhardt
Diseases threaten the survival of Ione manzanita (''Arctostaphylos myrtifolia'').
''Phytosphere Research'' March 10, 2003. These microorganisms, as well as a newly identified one, '' Phytophthora cambivora'', are spreading rapidly and may soon reach the entire range of the plant's distribution. Because of this threat, which may lead to the

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

of the species, the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

has recommended that it be upgraded from threatened to endangered status.USFWS
''Eriogonum apricum'' and ''Arctostaphylos myrtifolia'' Five year Review.
July 2010.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Arctostaphylos myrtifolia'' (Ione manzanita)Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Arctostaphylos myrtifolia''USDA Plants Profile; ''Arctostaphylos myrtifolia''''Arctostaphylos myrtifolia'' - Photo gallery
myrtifolia Endemic flora of California Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of Amador County, California Natural history of Calaveras County, California Plants described in 1887 Critically endangered flora of California {{Ericaceae-stub

Description

Conservation

See also

References

External links