threatened
Photo taken at Fort Ord © 2001 by Bruce Delgado
Photo taken at Fort Ord © 2007 by Dylan Neubauer
Photo taken at Fort Ord © 2007 by Dylan Neubauer
A red polygon indicates occurrence is extant; yellow indicates the occurrence has been extirpated
This fact sheet was prepared by Grey F. Hayes and Dean W. Taylor under award NA04N0S4200074 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NOAA or the DOC.
© Copyright 2006, Elkhorn Slough Coastal Training Program
Last updated: Sep 7, 2007 12:16
Common Names - Monterey manzanita
Family - Ericaceae (Heath Family)
State Status - none
Federal Status - none
Habitat
Sandy, inland, late-Pleistocene sand deposits (Arnold soil series) overtopping leached Aromas sandstone parent material on mesas and hillsides of maritime chaparral and along edges of coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) woodland.
Key Characteristics
Erect, large shrubs to ca 3 m tall, basal burl absent; twigs finely glandular and bristly; leaves petiolate, the petiole 4–6 mm long, blade 2–3 cm long, 1.5–3 cm wide, surfaces isofacial, dark green to very slightly glaucous, finely papillate, scabrous, with both glandular and bristly trichomes; inflorescence a 4–10 branched raceme, densely glandular, inflorescence bracts longer or same length as pedicels; berries with both glandular and bristly trichomes.
Flowering Period
February to March (identification possible throughout the year)
Reference Populations
Ft. Ord, Toro Park (Monterey County)
Global Distribution
Endemic to the Monterey Bay region of California.
Conservation
The most immediate conservation threats are erosion and fire suppression. The latter interferes with the Monterey manzanita's ability to reproduce, due the fact that the it, like other obligate seeders, requires periodic fires for germination. In contrast, burl-forming manzanitas can resprout after fire. Mowing had reduced regeneration of the manzanita at Parker Flats on Ft. Ord—hence the reason for burning the area in 2005. Another threat is competition from invasive species.
The reported location for San Luis Obispo County requires field study. Wells (1993) did not include San Luis Obispo within the known range, suggesting the specimen has been annotated to another taxon. Occurrences in and around the Monterey airport were eliminated in the 1980s; the remaining large stable occurrences are on Ft. Ord where the species occupies thousands of acres. A report from upper Carmel Valley has not been located in recent years.
References
Griffin, J. R. 1978. Maritime chaparral and endemic shrubs of the Monterey Bay region, California. Madroño 25:65–112.
Van Dyke, E. and K. Holl. 2003. Mapping the Distribution of Maritime Chaparral Species in the Monterey Bay Area. Prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Wells. P. V. 1993. Arctostaphylos, pp. 545–559 in J. C. Hickman. ed., The Jepson Manual. University of California Press, Berkeley.
Reviewed by Bruce Delgado and Lars Pierce (August 2007).