Arctostaphylos pallida

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Arctostaphylos pallida
Arctostaphylos pallida.jpg
A. pallida flowers
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Arctostaphylos
Species:
A. pallida
Binomial name
Arctostaphylos pallida

Arctostaphylos pallida, commonly known as pallid manzanita, Oakland Hills manzanita, and Alameda manzanita, is an upright manzanita shrub from the Ericaceae, or heath family. It is endemic to the eastern San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California.

Contents

Description

Arctostaphylos pallida grows to around 6–13 ft (1.8–4.0 m) in height. The branches on the shrub are reddish or grayish (more reddish) and they have twigs that tend to be bristly. The ovate to triangular leaves are bristly, strongly overlapping and clasping. They are 1.0 to 1.8-inch (46 mm) long and 0.8 to 1.2-inch (30 mm) wide.

The dense, white flowers are urn-shaped and 0.2 to 0.3-inch (7.6 mm) long. The flowering period is from November to March.

A. pallida commonly co-occurs with another manzanita species, brittle leaf manzanita ( Arctostaphylos tomentosa ssp. crustacea), but the latter is a burl-forming species with spreading leaves. A. pallida does not form burls.

Distribution

The species is found from 656–1,460 feet (200–445 m) in elevation, primarily on thin soils composed of chert and shale. The plants are found in manzanita chaparral habitat of the montane chaparral and woodlands ecosystem, and is frequently surrounded by oak woodlands and other chaparral shrubs.

Endemism

Arctostaphylos pallida is known from approximately 13 populations in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. [2] The two largest populations, which are owned by the East Bay Regional Park District, are located at Huckleberry Ridge—Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and at Sobrante Ridge Regional Park in Contra Costa County.

Several other small, natural and planted populations occur in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The two largest groups occupy an area of approximately 82 acres (330,000 m2). These two populations are found in maritime sage and chaparral, a habitat with mesic soil conditions and a maritime influence. Many smaller populations occur in coastal scrub. [3]

Threats

The primary threats to the species are the effects of fire suppression, and shading and competition from native plants, and introduced and invasive species. To a lesser extent, the species is threatened by fungal infection, herbicide spraying, hybridization, construction of roads, and the ongoing effects of habitat fragmentation and loss. [2]

This is a federally listed threatened species. It was listed as an endangered species by the California Department of Fish and Game in November 1997. The California Native Plant Society has placed it on List 1B (rare or endangered throughout its range).

See also

Related Research Articles

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Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve

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<i>Arctostaphylos bakeri</i> Species of flowering plant

Arctostaphylos bakeri is a species of manzanita known by the common name Baker's manzanita. It is endemic to Sonoma County, California, where it grows in the chaparral and woodlands of the North Coast Ranges. It is sometimes a member of the serpentine soils flora.

<i>Arctostaphylos densiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Arctostaphylos imbricata</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Arctostaphylos insularis</i> Species of flowering plant

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Arctostaphylos luciana is a species of manzanita known by the common name Santa Lucia manzanita, is endemic to California.

<i>Arctostaphylos montaraensis</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Arctostaphylos myrtifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Arctostaphylos myrtifolia is a rare species of manzanita known by the common name Ione manzanita. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. It grows in the chaparral and woodland plant community on a distinctive acidic soil series in western Amador and Calaveras Counties. There are only about 17 occurrences, but the plant is abundant in some areas of its limited range. This is a federally listed threatened species.

<i>Arctostaphylos obispoensis</i> Species of tree

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<i>Arctostaphylos pajaroensis</i> Species of flowering plant

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Arctostaphylos pilosula is a species of manzanita, known by the common names La Panza manzanita and Santa Margarita manzanita, that is endemic to California.

<i>Arctostaphylos refugioensis</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Arctostaphylos rudis</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Arctostaphylos rainbowensis</i> Species of tree

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<i>Arctostaphylos glandulosa <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> crassifolia</i> Subspecies of flowering plant

Arctostaphylos glandulosa subsp. crassifolia is a rare perennial shrub, a subspecies of manzanita within the heather family commonly known as the Del Mar manzanita. It is narrowly endemic to the sandstone coastal terraces of San Diego County and northwestern Baja California. It is a burl-forming evergreen shrub typically found growing in a rambling habit on poor soils and hardpan. From December to February, white to pink urn-shaped flowers decorate its foliage, giving way to small fruits. It is listed as endangered and is threatened by land development, invasive species and modifications to the natural fire regime.

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  2. 1 2 The Nature Conservancy
  3. Pallid Manzanita species account from the Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office Archived July 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine