Arctostaphylos hookeri

Arctostaphylos hookeri is a species of manzanita known by the common name Hooker's manzanita.

Arctostaphylos hookeri
ssp. franciscana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Ericales
Family:
Ericaceae
Genus:
Arctostaphylos
Species:
A. hookeri
Binomial name
Arctostaphylos hookeri

Description

Arctostaphylos hookeri is a low shrub which is variable in appearance and has several subspecies. These are generally mat-forming plants or low bushes with small green leaves, dense inflorescences of white to pink flowers, and shiny egg-shaped or round red drupes.

Distribution

The Arctostaphylos hookeri shrub is endemic to California where its native range extends from the coastal San Francisco Bay Area to the Central Coast.

Subspecies
There are several subspecies including:
  • A. h. franciscana - Franciscan manzanita - native to the city of San Francisco and thought to be extinct in the wild until one specimen was discovered in 2009.[1][2] Less than a month later, Caltrans transplanted this specimen to make way for the Doyle Drive Replacement Project.[3] The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the Franciscan manzanita as an endangered species on October 5, 2012.[4][5] The National Park Service and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy are attempting to cross-pollinate the preserved specimen in order to reproduce the subspecies in the wild.[6]
  • A. h. hearstiorum - Hearst's manzanita - native to San Luis Obispo County
  • A. h. hookeri - grows in the Santa Cruz Mountains and nearby
  • A. h. montana - Mt. Tamalpais manzanita - native to Mount Tamalpais
  • A. h. ravenii - Presidio manzanita - one single plant and a few clones exist at the Presidio of San Francisco. Federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

See also

References
  1. Ishimaru, H. Protected plant may delay Doyle Drive project. Archived 2009-11-25 at the Wayback Machine abcnews.com November 18, 2009.
  2. Fimrite, P. Manzanita bush's discovery excites scientists. San Francisco Chronicle December 26, 2009.
  3. Caltrans. Doyle Drive Transplanting Manzanita Bush. January 23, 2010.
  4. La Ganga, Maria. "Franciscan manzanita added to U.S. endangered list". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  5. "Species profile for Franciscan manzanita". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  6. Gribbon, Sadie (February 15, 2018). "Presidio's 'Loneliest plant in the world' meets its match". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved October 28, 2018.


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