Arctostaphylos mewukka
Encyclopedia
Arctostaphylos mewukka is a species of manzanita
known by the common name Indian manzanita.
growing to heights between 1 and 4 meters, with or without a burl
at the base. Leaves are variable in shape, from nearly round to widely lance-shaped, up to 7 centimeters long, and dull, smooth, and sometimes waxy in texture. The inflorescence
is a loose cluster of urn-shaped manzanita flowers. The fruit is a dark reddish-brown spherical drupe
up to 1.6 centimeters wide.
, where it grows in the mountain chaparral
in the temperate coniferous forests of the range.
Arctostaphylos
Arctostaphylos is a genus of plants comprised by the manzanitas and bearberries. They are shrubs or small trees.There are about 60 species of Arctostaphylos, ranging from ground-hugging arctic, coastal, and mountain species to small trees up to 6 m tall. Most are evergreen , with small oval...
known by the common name Indian manzanita.
Description
Arctostaphylos mewukka is a mostly hairless shrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growing to heights between 1 and 4 meters, with or without a burl
Burl
A burl or bur or burr is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds.A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be caused...
at the base. Leaves are variable in shape, from nearly round to widely lance-shaped, up to 7 centimeters long, and dull, smooth, and sometimes waxy in texture. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a loose cluster of urn-shaped manzanita flowers. The fruit is a dark reddish-brown spherical drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
up to 1.6 centimeters wide.
Distribution
Arctostaphylos mewukka is endemic to the Sierra Nevada of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in the mountain chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
in the temperate coniferous forests of the range.