Arctostaphylos catalinae, the Santa Catalina Island manzanita, is a species in the Ericaceae (Heath) family. It is endemic to California, where it grows wild only in the Channel Islands, specifically, Catalina and Santa Cruz Islands. This is a tall, bristly manzanita with a well defined trunk that is adapted to the stiff, saline breezes of the island bluffs in its habitat. It does not develop a basal burl and so does not sprout from the base after a fire. However, like other Manzanitas, the seeds germinate readily after fire. It is an attractive Manzanita that deserves to be used more often in coastal gardens.
Arctostaphylos catalinae
Written by
in