Kingdom Plantae Family Ericaceae Scientific name Arctostaphylos virgata Rank Species | Order Ericales Genus Arctostaphylos Higher classification Arctostaphylos | |
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Similar Arctostaphylos mendocinoensis, Arctostaphylos nissenana, Arctostaphylos imbricata, Arctostaphylos montaraensis, Arctostaphylos ohloneana | ||
Arctostaphylos virgata is a species of manzanita known by the common names Bolinas manzanita and Marin manzanita.
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Distribution
It is endemic to Marin County, California, where it is known from only about 20 occurrences in the forests and chaparral of the coastal hills. It is a dominant shrub in some spots in the maritime chaparral plant community at Point Reyes National Seashore. Like many other species in this type of plant community, it is dependent on wildfire and its survival is threatened by fire suppression.
Description
Arctostaphylos virgata is a large shrub, reaching at least two meters tall and known to exceed 5 meters in height, becoming treelike. Its twisted branches are covered in deep red bark. The smaller twigs are coated in woolly fibers and studded with glandular bristles which exude sticky resins. The shiny green leaves are rough and sticky in texture, oval to widely lance-shaped, and up to 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of urn-shaped manzanita flowers. The fruit is a sticky, bristly drupe about 7 centimeters wide.