Arctostaphylos pallida

Pallid manzanita, Pallid Manzanita, pallid manzanita, pallid manzanita

Family: Ericaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1 · Threatened

Pallid manzanita is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native shrub found in eastern San Francisco Bay bioregion, specifically on Sobrante and Huckleberry ridges in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, growing in chaparral and siliceous shale slopes at elevations of 200 to 460 meters. Flowering from January to March, this plant produces pale pink to white urn-shaped flowers in delicate, drooping clusters with 3 to 5 branches. Growing as an erect shrub 2 to 4 meters tall with densely hairy twigs, it develops a distinctive branching structure with multiple stems. Its leaves are glaucous-green, generally ovate, 2.5 to 4.5 centimeters long, with a lobed base that clasps the stem and an entire, flat margin. The fruit is a sticky, depressed-spheric berry approximately 8 to 10 millimeters wide, with stones that can be variably fused or free.

Habitat: Siliceous shales, slopes, ridges, chaparral

Bloom period: Jan-Mar

Elevation: 200-460 m

Bioregions: e SnFrB (Sobrante, Huckleberry ridges, Alameda, Contra Costa cos.).

California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno

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