Arctostaphylos densiflora

Vine hill manzanita, Vine Hill Manzanita, Vine Hill manzanita, Vine Hill manzanita

Family: Ericaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Vine hill manzanita is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native shrub found in southern North Coast Ranges (Vine Hill near Forestville, Sonoma County) in maritime chaparral on marine acid sandy-clay soils at elevations around 100 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces delicate pink to white flowers in compact panicle clusters with pendulous nascent inflorescence. Growing as a mounded to erect shrub reaching approximately 1 meter tall with bright green, shiny twigs sparsely covered in short non-glandular hairs. Its leaves are erect with short 4 to 5 millimeter petioles, featuring elliptic to narrowly lanceolate blades 1 to 2.5 centimeters long, bright green and smooth with entire flat margins and wedge-shaped to obtuse bases. The fruit is a nearly spherical, glabrous structure approximately 5 to 6 millimeters wide with variably fused or free stones.

Habitat: Marine acid sandy-clay soils, maritime chaparral

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: +- 100 m.

Bioregions: s NCoRO (Vine Hill near Forestville, Sonoma Co.).

California counties: Sonoma, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Monterey, Humboldt, San Luis Obispo, Contra Costa, Napa, Marin, San Francisco, Del Norte

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