Xylococcus bicolor

Mission manzanita

Family: Ericaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Mission manzanita is a native shrub found in southern California coastal regions, Santa Catalina Island, and the Peninsular Ranges in chaparral habitats at elevations below 650 meters. Flowering from December to February, this plant produces white to pale pink flowers in dense, somewhat reflexed panicles less than 9 millimeters long. Growing as a burred shrub with erect stems up to 2.5 meters tall and shredding bark, it develops distinctive canescent twigs. Its leathery, elliptic to oblong evergreen leaves are dark green on the upper surface, densely white to gray-hairy underneath, with margins rolled under and measuring 2.5 to 4.5 centimeters long. The fruit is a smooth drupe less than 9 millimeters wide, with (3)5 fused stone segments forming a smooth unit.

Habitat: Chaparral

Bloom period: Dec-Feb

Elevation: < 650 m

Bioregions: SCo, s ChI (Santa Catalina Island), PR (exc SnJt)

California counties: San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, Alameda, San Francisco

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