Arctostaphylos pallida

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Arctostaphylos pallida

A. pallida flowers

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Arctostaphylos
Species:	A. pallida

Binomial name

Arctostaphylos pallida
Eastw.

Arctostaphylos pallida, commonly known as Pallid Manzanita, Oakland Hills Manzanita, and Alameda Manzanita, is an upright shrub from the Ericaceae, or heath, family. It grows to around 6 to 13 ft. high. 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 long and 0.8 to 1.2 inch wide. The dense, white flowers are urn-shaped and 0.2 to 0.3 inch long. The flowering period is from December 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.

1 Distribution
2 Special consideration
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Distribution

The species is found from 656 to 1,460 feet in elevation, primarily on thin soils composed of chert and shale. The plants are found in manzanita chaparral habitat which is frequently surrounded by oak woodlands and coastal shrub.

A. pallida is known from approximately 13 populations in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The two largest populations, which are owned by the East Bay Regional Park District, are located at Huckleberry Ridge 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. These two populations are found in maritime chaparral, a habitat with mesic soil conditions and a maritime influence. Many smaller populations occur in coastal scrub. ^[1]

[edit] Special consideration

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

This species was listed as endangered 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).