Rank Species | ||
Similar Arctostaphylos ohloneana, Arctostaphylos mendocinoensis, Arctostaphylos gabilanensis, Arctostaphylos nissenana, Arctostaphylos hispidula | ||
Arbutus occidentalis is a shrub species in the heath family, that is endemic to Mexico.
Contents
Distribution
The plant is found in montane Mexico from Chihuahua to Oaxaca. It is found in pine forests, spreading on cliff summits and steep rocky slopes.
Description
Arbutus occidentalis is a low growing shrub, growing 0.25–1 metre (0.82–3.28 ft) in height. In places it forms colonies more than 6 feet (1.8 m) ) wide.
The branches are covered with thin red bark. Leaves are 3–6 centimetres (1.2–2.4 in) long, by 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) wide. They have teeth along the edges.
The red fruits are about 0.5 inches (13 mm) across and fleshy.
Variations
Two regional variations of Arbutus occidentalis were formerly distinguished as varieties
References
Arbutus occidentalis Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA