Flora of North America species comparison

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Arctostaphylos purissima

Arctostaphylos nortensis

La Purisima manzanita, La Purissima manzanita

Del Norte manzanita
Habit Shrubs, erect, 1–4 m; burl absent; twigs densely short-hairy with longer hairs. Shrubs or trees, erect, 2–5 m; burl absent; twigs soft-hairy with minute glands on cryptic, short hairs or at tips of longer, hispid hairs.
Leaves

petiole to 2 mm;

blade bright green, shiny, orbiculate-ovate to ± orbiculate, 1–2.5 × 1–2 cm, base auriculate-clasping, margins entire, plane, surfaces smooth, glabrous.

petiole 4–5 mm;

blade gray-glaucous, becoming dark green, dull, narrowly elliptic-ovate, 2–4 × 1–2 cm, base truncate to rounded, margins entire, plane, (sometimes sparsely ciliate), surfaces smooth, finely white-tomentose or glabrous.
Inflorescences

racemes, simple or 1–2-branched;

immature inflorescence pendent, (branches dense, concealed by bracts), axis 0.5–1 cm, 1+ mm diam., densely short-hairy with longer hairs;

bracts not appressed, (overlapping), leaflike, ovate to lanceolate-ovate, 5–8 mm, apex acute, surfaces glabrous.

racemes, simple or 1-branched;

immature inflorescence pendent, (branches crowded, bell-shaped, ± obscured by bracts), axis 0.5–1.2 cm, 1+ mm diam., soft-hairy with minute glands on cryptic, short hairs or at tips of longer, hispid hairs;

bracts not appressed, (green), leaflike, ovate, 5–10 mm, apex acute, surfaces hairy, (also with longer hairs).
Pedicels

3–5 mm, sparsely hairy or glabrous.

2–4 mm, sparsely white-hairy.
Flowers

corolla white, conic to urceolate;

ovary glabrous.

corolla white, conic to urceolate;

ovary densely white-hairy.
Fruits

depressed-globose, 5–8 mm diam., glabrous.

depressed-globose, 6–8 mm diam., sparsely white-hairy.
Stones

distinct.

distinct.
2n

= 26.

= 26.

Arctostaphylos purissima

Arctostaphylos nortensis
Phenology Flowering winter–early spring. Flowering late winter–late spring.
Habitat Maritime chaparral on deep, sandy soils Chaparral, open forests
Elevation 0-100 m (0-300 ft) 400-600 m (1300-2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Arctostaphylos purissima is known from hills and mesas near the coast (Burton Mesa) in Santa Barbara County.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Of conservation concern.

Arctostaphylos nortensis occurs on upland peridodite soils in the interior mountains of Del Norte County, California, and adjacent Curry and Josephine counties, Oregon. It appears to be a distinct entity and well distributed in this limited region; it could be confused with hybrids between A. canescens and A. viscida that have been described from the interior portion of its range. In the protologue, Wells did not mention their glandular pubescence, clearly visible on the type specimen; this feature can be difficult to discern in some herbarium specimens. The region of northwestern California and adjacent southwestern Oregon needs more study, this taxon being one example.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 434. FNA vol. 8, p. 428.
Parent taxa Ericaceae > subfam. Arbutoideae > Arctostaphylos Ericaceae > subfam. Arbutoideae > Arctostaphylos
Sibling taxa
A. andersonii, A. auriculata, A. bakeri, A. canescens, A. catalinae, A. columbiana, A. confertiflora, A. crustacea, A. cruzensis, A. densiflora, A. edmundsii, A. franciscana, A. gabilanensis, A. glandulosa, A. glauca, A. glutinosa, A. hispidula, A. hookeri, A. hooveri, A. imbricata, A. insularis, A. klamathensis, A. luciana, A. malloryi, A. manzanita, A. mewukka, A. montana, A. montaraensis, A. montereyensis, A. morroensis, A. myrtifolia, A. nevadensis, A. nissenana, A. nortensis, A. nummularia, A. obispoensis, A. ohloneana, A. osoensis, A. otayensis, A. pacifica, A. pajaroensis, A. pallida, A. parryana, A. patula, A. pechoensis, A. pilosula, A. pringlei, A. pumila, A. pungens, A. rainbowensis, A. refugioensis, A. regismontana, A. rudis, A. sensitiva, A. silvicola, A. stanfordiana, A. tomentosa, A. uva-ursi, A. virgata, A. viridissima, A. viscida
A. andersonii, A. auriculata, A. bakeri, A. canescens, A. catalinae, A. columbiana, A. confertiflora, A. crustacea, A. cruzensis, A. densiflora, A. edmundsii, A. franciscana, A. gabilanensis, A. glandulosa, A. glauca, A. glutinosa, A. hispidula, A. hookeri, A. hooveri, A. imbricata, A. insularis, A. klamathensis, A. luciana, A. malloryi, A. manzanita, A. mewukka, A. montana, A. montaraensis, A. montereyensis, A. morroensis, A. myrtifolia, A. nevadensis, A. nissenana, A. nummularia, A. obispoensis, A. ohloneana, A. osoensis, A. otayensis, A. pacifica, A. pajaroensis, A. pallida, A. parryana, A. patula, A. pechoensis, A. pilosula, A. pringlei, A. pumila, A. pungens, A. purissima, A. rainbowensis, A. refugioensis, A. regismontana, A. rudis, A. sensitiva, A. silvicola, A. stanfordiana, A. tomentosa, A. uva-ursi, A. virgata, A. viridissima, A. viscida
Synonyms A. columbiana subsp. nortensis
Name authority P. V. Wells: Madroño 19: 195. 1968 , (P. V. Wells) P. V. Wells: Four Seasons 9(2): 56. 1992 ,
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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