Arctostaphylos densiflora

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 five to ten plants of this manzanita taxon growing on private property about a mile away.[1] The local habitat is mostly chaparral on sandy shale soils.

Arctostaphylos densiflora
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Ericales
Family:
Ericaceae
Genus:
Arctostaphylos
Species:
A. densiflora
Binomial name
Arctostaphylos densiflora

Description

Arctostaphylos densiflora is a small shrub growing in low, spreading clumps under one meter in height. The shiny green leaves are oval to widely lance-shaped and less than three centimeters long. It bears inflorescences of light to bright pink urn-shaped flowers. The fruit is a drupe about half a centimeter wide.

Species differentiation

A. densiflora likely appeared about 1.5 million years ago, although the Arctostaphylos genus itself arose in the Miocene era.[2]

See also

References
  1. Center for Plant Conservation Archived 2009-08-19 at the Wayback Machine
  2. C. Michael Hogan & Sarah Gordon. 2014. Arctostaphylos densiflora Archived May 21, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. ed. J. Lee. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science & Environment. Washington DC


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