The colors below indicate the kind of documentation available for this species
in the California counties where it occurs.
Manzanita Arctostaphylos nummularia (Ericaceae)
Arctostaphylos is famous for its red peeling bark and sinuous twisting branches. This Manzanita is variable in stature. Some individuals growing in forests can become 2 meters tall. Other individuals growing in rocky exposed sites form prostrate, ground-hugging shrubs as low as 15 centimeters (less than a foot) tall. The white flowers are produced in late winter, long before the appearance of other spring wildflowers. The urn-shaped, pendant flowers are visited by bees that remove pollen from the apical-pored anthers by a vibratory buzzing mechanism.
DISTRIBUTION: Rocky sites, woodlands, and coniferous forests from the North Coast and Outer North Coast Ranges to the San Francisco Bay Area; < 600 m.
