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Alameda Manzanita on Sobrante Ridge

The rare and endangered Alameda (or Pallid) Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pallida) is found in only two small locales: in or near Huckleberrry Preserve in the Oakland Hills and on Sobrante Ridge in El Sobrante (near San Pablo Reservoir, between Orinda and San Pablo in the East Bay). This is a beautiful manzanita with dense, smooth, red bark and, in winter, white flowers. Its gray-green leaves are pointed and have such short stems that they seem to attach directly to the plant's branches. These pictures were taken on December 31, 2006, on Sobrante Ridge, where siliceous soil creates difficult growing conditions to which the manzanita is adapted.

The long-term propects for Alameda Manzanita are questionable since it is thought to be fire-adapted, but there is no alternative to fire suppression in the areas where the plant now occurs.

alameda manzanita  

alameda manzanita  

alameda manzanita

link: Alameda Manzanita at oaklandnet.com (pdf format)
link: California State List of Endangered Plants

 


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