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Plant Profile

Arroyo de la Cruz Manzanita (Arctostaphylos cruzensis)

Photo Credit: Steve Matson

Global Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Ericaceae
State: CA
Nature Serve ID: 137554
Lifeform: Shrub
Date Inducted in National Collection: 10/16/2004

Description:

Arctostaphylos cruzensis is a manzanita shrub that grows to 2-3' tall and 4-5' in width. It has pointed, oval leaves that are bright green to gray and sometimes toothed on the edges that grow on smooth dark red stems. The flowers are very pale pink with tapered throats. The fruits are hairy drupes up to a centimeter in diameter and containing angular seeds.

Where is Arroyo de la Cruz Manzanita (Arctostaphylos cruzensis) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Ecotone between grassland and Central Maritime Chaparral on coastal slopes; broad-leafed upland forest, coastal bluff scrub, closed-cone coniferous forest, chaparral, coastal scrub, valley and foothill grassland, sandy soil

Distribution:

Arctostaphylos cruzensis grows on coastal bluffs and terraces from San Luis Obispo county to Monterey county in California.

States & Provinces:

Arroyo de la Cruz Manzanita can be found in California

Which CPC Partners conserve Arroyo de la Cruz Manzanita (Arctostaphylos cruzensis)?

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

University of California-Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Assigned 01/17/19

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

08/05/2020

Based on an August 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has collected 3 seed accessions of Arctostaphylos cruzensis from 1 plant occurrences listed in the California Natural Diversity Database. These collections together emcompass 3 maternal plants

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

There are less than 20 known occurrences of Arctostaphylos cruzensis. Endemic to two counties in California. Its coastal habitat favors development and it is also threatened by grazing and by recreational use of the coast. Most EO's are on private lands with significant numbers on Hearst property, which is perhaps slated to be partially protected as part of a land deal with ALC.