About Arctostaphylos pilosula Jeps. & Wiesl.
Arctostaphylos pilosula Jeps. & Wiesl. is an erect, bristly shrub that reaches a height of 1 to 5 metres (3.3 to 16.4 ft). Its leaves are round to oval in shape, with a dull, hairless texture, and grow up to 3 centimetres (1.2 in) long. The shrub produces spherical white inflorescences holding the characteristic cone-shaped, downward-facing "manzanita" flowers; each individual flower is just under 1 centimetre (0.39 in) long. This species blooms from December to March. Its fruit is a reddish-brown drupe about one centimetre wide, which ripens in summer.
This plant is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, where it occurs in three distinct areas: the La Panza Range, the east slope of the Santa Lucia Mountains near Atascadero, and the San Luis Range near Pismo Beach. It grows in chaparral and closed-cone pine forest habitats, on shale and sandstone outcrops and slopes, at elevations ranging from 30 to 1,250 metres (98 to 4,101 ft).
