Arctostaphylos crustacea subsp. crustacea

Family: Ericaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Arctostaphylos crustacea subspecies crustacea is a California native shrub found in northern coastal ranges, central western California, and northern Channel Islands in chaparral and conifer forest habitats at elevations below 1,100 meters. Flowering from February to April, this plant produces white to pink urn-shaped flowers in small clusters with distinctive stiff hairs. Growing as a dense, spreading shrub 1 to 2 meters tall with woody branches covered in stiff non-glandular hairs, it has a distinctive appearance in its native habitat. Its leaves are oval to rounded, dark green above and slightly hairy underneath, becoming smoother with age. The shrub forms part of the characteristic chaparral landscape, with its rigid branching and unique hairiness distinguishing it from other manzanita subspecies.

Habitat: Chaparral, conifer forest

Bloom period: Feb-Apr

Elevation: < 1100 m

Bioregions: NCoRI, CW, n ChI.

California counties: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Del Norte, San Benito, Napa

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.