About Arctostaphylos purissima P.V.Wells
Arctostaphylos purissima is a shrub that grows to at least 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height, and is known to reach over 4 metres (13 ft) tall. Its shape varies widely, ranging from low and spreading to tall and erect. The shrub is covered in long, white bristles, and bears dense foliage of shiny, hairless green leaves. Individual leaves are round to oval in shape with smooth edges, and grow up to 2.5 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a hanging cluster of spherical to urn-shaped manzanita flowers, each of which measures approximately half a centimeter long. The fruit of Arctostaphylos purissima is a hairless drupe between 0.5 and 1 centimeter wide. This species is endemic to western Santa Barbara County, California, where it occurs in the Santa Ynez Mountains, near Lompoc, and near the site of Mission La Purísima Concepción. It grows in Coastal sage scrub chaparral habitats, on sandstone soils. Because of its limited distribution, it currently holds the California Rare Plant Ranking 1B.1: Rare, threatened, or endangered in California or elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.
