About Arctostaphylos montaraensis Roof
Arctostaphylos montaraensis Roof is a mounding to erect shrub. Its height ranges from 0.5 meters (1.6 ft) when growing on exposed granite outcrops, up to 5 meters (16 ft). This species has multiple trunks and stems covered in deep reddish-brown bark. Twigs and the developing inflorescence axis are coated in glandular bristles. Its dense foliage consists of light gray-green glandular leaves, which have a rough, dull texture and can grow up to 4 or 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of the cone-shaped flowers characteristic of manzanitas. Each individual flower is white, just under one centimeter long, and has bristles on its inner surface. This species flowers from January through March. Its small red fruits have an apple-like shape, matching the common name manzanita (meaning "little apple" in Spanish), and are 6–7 millimeters (0.24–0.28 in) wide. This perennial evergreen shrub is endemic to California, and is native only to a small number of known locations in northern San Mateo County. It grows on San Bruno Mountain and Montara Mountain, which are northern extensions of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It occurs at elevations between 80 and 500 meters (260–1,640 ft), growing on decomposing granite and sandstone rock outcrops within coastal chaparral and coastal sage scrub habitats. It is ranked as a critically endangered species in the California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California, because its populations are threatened by new development, and habitat degradation from off-trail and off-road foot traffic and vehicles such as motorcycles and mountain bikes. Arctostaphylos montaraensis is cultivated as a chaparral landscaping plant, used in California native plant gardens, drought-tolerant gardens, and natural habitat gardens.
