''Arctostaphylos nummularia'' is a species of

manzanita Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus ''Arctostaphylos''. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from Southern British Columbia and Washington to Or ...

known by the common names glossyleaf manzanita, dwarf manzanita and Fort Bragg manzanita. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, where it grows in the forests of the coastal and inland ranges north of the San Francisco Bay.

Taxonomy

One subspecies is the pygmy manzanita (''Arctostaphylos nummularia'' subsp. ''mendocinoensis''), which is endemic to Mendocino County, California and Sonoma County, California, where it is found in the pygmy forests along the coastline.

Description

''Arctostaphylos nummularia'' is a red-barked shrub reaching a maximum height between one and two meters. The smaller twigs are covered lightly in white glandular bristles. The leaves are oval-shaped to nearly round, one to two centimeters long and wide. The edges are very finely toothed to nearly smooth, lined with tiny bristles, and sometimes curled under. The upper surface of the leaf is darker green and shinier than the underside. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

holds a cluster of hanging flowers, which are spherical and white to pink-tinged. The fruit is a cylindrical drupe less than half a centimeter long containing a few seeds.

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Arctostaphylos nummularia''USDA Plants Profile''Arctostaphylos nummularia'' - Photo gallery
nummularia Endemic flora of California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area Natural history of Mendocino County, California Natural history of Sonoma County, California Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Ericaceae-stub