Arctostaphylos refugioensis
Encyclopedia
Arctostaphylos refugioensis is a species of manzanita
known by the common name Refugio manzanita. It is endemic to Santa Barbara County, California
, where it can be found along the immediate coastline, including the vicinity of Refugio State Beach
, and into the Santa Ynez Mountains
. It is a plant of the coastal chaparral
on sandstone
soils. This is a shrub
reaching at least two meters tall and known to exceed four meters in maximum height. Its branches are covered in long, gland-tipped bristles and a dense foliage of oblong greenish to deep red leaves. Each leaf is dull, waxy, and often bristly in texture, smooth or toothed along the edges, and up to 4.5 centimeters long. The shrub flowers in winter in inflorescence
s of cone-shaped manzanita flowers each up to a centimeter long. The fruit is a spherical to oval red drupe
with a pointed end, measuring at least a centimeter long.
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 Refugio manzanita. It is endemic to Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
, where it can be found along the immediate coastline, including the vicinity of Refugio State Beach
Refugio State Beach
Refugio State Beach is a protected state beach park located west of Santa Barbara, California.It is west of El Capitán State Beach.-External links:*...
, and into the Santa Ynez Mountains
Santa Ynez Mountains
The Santa Ynez Mountains are a portion of the Transverse Ranges, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of the west coast of North America, and are one of the northernmost mountain ranges in Southern California.-Geography:...
. It is a plant of the coastal 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 sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
soils. This is a shrub
Shrub
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 at least two meters tall and known to exceed four meters in maximum height. Its branches are covered in long, gland-tipped bristles and a dense foliage of oblong greenish to deep red leaves. Each leaf is dull, waxy, and often bristly in texture, smooth or toothed along the edges, and up to 4.5 centimeters long. The shrub flowers in winter in 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...
s of cone-shaped manzanita flowers each up to a centimeter long. The fruit is a spherical to oval red 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...
with a pointed end, measuring at least a centimeter long.