''Ornithostaphylos'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

plant genus which contains the single species ''Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia'', commonly known as the Baja California birdbush or Baja California manzanita. A large,

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrub in the heather family, this species is near-endemic to northwestern

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, with a small population just north of the border in

San Ysidro, California San Ysidro (Spanish for " St. Isidore", ) is a district of the City of San Diego, immediately north of the Mexico–United States border. It neighbors Otay Mesa West to the north, Otay Mesa to the east, and Nestor and the Tijuana River Valley ...

. It produces a much-branched inflorescence of white, urn-shaped flowers, and has leathery leaves that appear opposite or in whorls. These unique characteristics separate it from its close relatives in the region, which include manzanitas (

Arctostaphylos ''Arctostaphylos'' (; from "bear" and "bunch of grapes") is a genus of plants comprising the manzanitas () and bearberries. They are shrubs or small trees. There are about 60 species, of ''Arctostaphylos'', ranging from ground-hugging arc ...

), summer holly ( Comarostaphylis) and mission manzanita ( Xylococcus).

Description

burl A burl (American English) or burr (British English) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dor ...

-forming, branched shrub to small tree up to 2 m tall, this species has thin, smooth bark that is colored reddish purple when young, sometimes found peeling off. The erect, rigidly branched stems may have minutely wooly

hairs Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fine ...

. The evergreen, leathery leaves are arranged opposite or whorled, and are up to 8 cm long to 6 mm wide. The margins of the leaves are rolled under, with the top side of the leaf a dark green and the underside white and hairy. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are forme ...

is a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

with 10 to 20 flowers, each suspended by a long pedicel. The fused

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s form a white, urn-shaped flower, with 10

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the fila ...

s and a 5-chambered

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

inside. The fruit is a spherical reddish-brown

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel ...

with 5 stones, each stone containing 2 seeds.

Distribution and habitat

This species is distributed throughout northwestern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

and a small part of

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 ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. In Baja California, it is found from

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

south to the southern end of the

Sierra de San Pedro Martir Sierra (Spanish for " mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range ...

. In California, around 100 individuals are found growing north of the

International Border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political border ...

on single mesa near the Tijuana Hills. Plants of this species make their home in the coastal

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 Mediterranea ...

, where they may form dense, nearly pure strands. The population in the United States is threatened by

habitat fragmentation Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay. Causes of habitat fragmentation include geological process ...

from the construction of roads, trails, and Border Patrol activities, such as "brush" clearing. Part of the known population was transplanted away to make room for the border fence, but the their long-term survival is uncertain.

Uses

A very slow growing, rare plant, this attractive small tree is well suited in gardens within its native area as a collector's or specimen plant. It is hardy down to 12 °F. It is

drought-tolerant Drought tolerance is the ability to which a plant maintains its biomass production during arid or drought conditions. Some plants are naturally adapted to dry conditions'','' surviving with protection mechanisms such as desiccation tolerance, detox ...

but does fine with occasional watering, enjoying well-draining to rocky soil.

Gallery

File:Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia 32527277.jpg, Detail of the flowers, with a view to their insides File:Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia 6110041.jpg, A nascent inflorescence with leaves File:Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia 6110033.jpg, The plant in habitat File:Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia 01.jpg, The old inflorescence with drupes File:H20130314-6854—Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia—RPBG-1 (8595937643).jpg, Flowering at the

Regional Parks Botanic Garden The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a 10-acre (4 hectare) botanical garden located in Tilden Regional Park in the Berkeley Hills, east of Berkeley, California, in the United States. It showcases California native plants, and is open to the publ ...

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia'' (Baja birdbush, Baja California birdbush)

Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia''

USDA Plants Profile

UC CalPhotos gallery for ''Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia''
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q17372453, from2=Q3487907 Arbutoideae Flora of California Flora of Baja California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Monotypic Ericaceae genera Critically endangered flora of California Critically endangered biota of Mexico Taxa named by Charles Christopher Parry Natural history of San Diego County, California