Arctostaphylos rudis

Arctostaphylos rudis is a rare species in the Ericaceae (Heath) family known by the common names Sand Mesa Manzanita and Shagbark Manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the southern Central Coast. It is most abundant at Burton Mesa in the hills north of Lompoc, and there are a few occurrences remaining near Nipomo. It grows in chaparral and coastal sage scrub on sandy soils. This is an erect shrub growing from a burl to heights between one and two meters. Its stem and branches are covered in shredding gray and reddish bark, with its smaller branches coated in woolly fibers. The leaves are oval in shape and smooth along the edges with few hairs, green in color and shiny. They are 1 to 3 centimeters long. It flowers in late fall and winter with pink urn-shaped manzanita flowers. The fruits are hairless red drupes about a centimeter wide or slightly larger. Despite its rarity in the wild, it is easy to grow and accepting of garden conditions. It is probably best used near the coast.