Arctostaphylos densiflora
Encyclopedia
Arctostaphylos densiflora, known by the common name Vine Hill manzanita, is a very rare species of manzanita
. It is endemic to Sonoma County, California
, where it is known from only one extant population of 20 to 30 individual plants. These last wild members of the species are on land near Sebastopol
which is owned and protected by the California Native Plant Society
. In addition, there are 5 to 10 plants growing on private property about a mile away. The local habitat is mostly chaparral
on sandy shale soils.
s of light to bright pink urn-shaped flowers. The fruit is a drupe
about half a centimeter wide.
Arctostaphylos
Arctostaphylos is a genus of plants comprised by the manzanitas and bearberries. They are shrubs or small trees.There are about 60 species of Arctostaphylos, ranging from ground-hugging arctic, coastal, and mountain species to small trees up to 6 m tall. Most are evergreen , with small oval...
. It is endemic to Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
, where it is known from only one extant population of 20 to 30 individual plants. These last wild members of the species are on land near Sebastopol
Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco. The population was 7,379 at the 2010 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people...
which is owned and protected by the California Native Plant Society
California Native Plant Society
The California Native Plant Society is a California not-for-profit organization that seeks to increase understanding of California's native flora and to preserve that flora. Its "paramount purpose is to preserve wild plants".-History:...
. In addition, there are 5 to 10 plants growing on private property about a mile away. The local habitat is mostly chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
on sandy shale soils.
Description
Arctostaphylos densiflora is a small shrub growing in low, spreading clumps under a meter-3 feet in height. The shiny green leaves are oval to widely lance-shaped and less than 3 centimeters long. It bears inflorescenceInflorescence
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. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s of light to bright pink urn-shaped flowers. The fruit is a drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
about half a centimeter wide.