Arctostaphylos ohloneana
Encyclopedia
Arctostaphylos ohloneana is a rare species of manzanita
known by the common name Ohlone manzanita in the Santa Cruz Mountains
in California. It is endemic to northwest Santa Cruz County
, where it is known only from four populations on Ben Lomond Mountain, just south of Big Basin Redwoods State Park
.
It was discovered in the 1980s among other manzanita species on the mountain and it was described to science in 2008. There are an estimated 100 individuals in existence.
and oak and pine forest habitat on whitish soils of siliceous
shale
origin. The plants all occur on land owned by Lockheed Martin
.
reaching one or two meters in height. The braches are covered in reddish-brown bark and the newer twigs have fuzzy hairs. The light green leaves have oval blades up to 3 centimeters long by 1.5 wide. The inflorescence
is a panicle
of white or pinkish conical or urn
-shaped flowers. The fruit is a spherical reddish-brown drupe
5 to 8 millimeters 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...
known by the common name Ohlone manzanita in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
in California. It is endemic to northwest Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
, where it is known only from four populations on Ben Lomond Mountain, just south of Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of California, located in Santa Cruz County, about northwest of Santa Cruz. The park contains almost all of the Waddell Creek watershed, which was formed by the seismic uplift of its rim, and the erosion of its center by the many...
.
It was discovered in the 1980s among other manzanita species on the mountain and it was described to science in 2008. There are an estimated 100 individuals in existence.
Distribution
Arctostaphylos ohloneana occurs in maritime chaparralChaparral
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...
and oak and pine forest habitat on whitish soils of siliceous
Silicon dioxide
The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica , is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula '. It has been known for its hardness since antiquity...
shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
origin. The plants all occur on land owned by Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
.
Description
Arctostaphylos ohloneana is an erect, bushy shrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
reaching one or two meters in height. The braches are covered in reddish-brown bark and the newer twigs have fuzzy hairs. The light green leaves have oval blades up to 3 centimeters long by 1.5 wide. The inflorescence
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. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
of white or pinkish conical or urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
-shaped flowers. The fruit is a spherical reddish-brown 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...
5 to 8 millimeters wide.