Arctostaphylos purissima subsp. purissima

La purisima manzanita

Family: Ericaceae · Type: shrub · Native

La purisima manzanita is a California native shrub found in central coastal California in maritime chaparral on sandstone outcrops and sandy soils at elevations of 180 to 400 meters. Flowering from December to March, this plant produces pale pink to white urn-shaped flowers in clusters with dense, soft, nonglandular hairs. Growing as a compact shrub with multiple stems 1 to 2 meters tall, it has distinctive smooth, reddish bark and a somewhat spreading growth habit. Its leaves are glabrous, leathery, and dark green, with an elliptical to oval shape that provides a striking contrast to its reddish stems. The fruit is a depressed-spherical drupe with stones that may be variably fused or free, typical of manzanita species.

Habitat: Sandstone outcrops, sandy soils, maritime chaparral

Bloom period: Dec-Mar

Elevation: 180-400 m

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