BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Arctostaphylos viscida | Whiteleaf Manzanita 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Whiteleaf manzanita is an erect, long-lived, native evergreen shrub.  It
ranges from 3 to 13 feet (1-4 m) high, with spreading branches covering
an average area of 16 square feet (1.5 sq m).  Its bark is continually
shed [36].  The leaves, pedicels, and fruits are often glandular-viscid.
Its fruit is a drupe containing hardcoated seeds [2,13,35].  The
laterally spreading, shallow roots usually penetrate less than 8 inches
belowground (20 cm) [10,39].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Sexual:  Whiteleaf manzanita reproduces by seed [13].  Seeds are
dispersed by animals and can remain dormant in seedbanks for decades
[3,22,33].  Seeds require scarification prior to germination.  This may
occur by heat, mechanically, or chemically [3,15,26].  Seeds require
overwinter stratification after scarification has occurred [26].  Seeds
are produced annually, although production slows during drought years
[39].  Seedling mortality is low [33].

Vegetative:  All manzanita species can regenerate by layering [2].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Whiteleaf manzanita is typically found on dry, sunny slopes [37].  

Climate:  Whiteleaf manzanita occurs in a mediterranean climate, with
mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers [22,23].

Elevation:  Whiteleaf manzanita occurs at elevations of 500 to 5,000
feet (152-1,524 m) [37].

Soil:  Whiteleaf manzanita grows in shallow, rocky, sandy soil [31].
Some populations have adapted to serpentine soil [33].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Whiteleaf manzanita is shade intolerant [7,11].  It is both a resisdual
colonizer and a survivor in disturbed communities [22,30].  Whiteleaf
manzanita communities are sometimes seral to coniferous forest or oak
woodland [30].  Manzanita chaparral, however, is considered a temporally
and spatially stable community, and is often described as climax or
pyric climax [22,23].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Whiteleaf manzanita flowers from February to April [36].  Fruits appear
in early summer and ripen in late summer or early fall.  Seeds are
dispersed from late summer until the following spring [2].  Growth
begins in February and ceases in June with the onset of summer drought
[24]. 

Related categories for Species: Arctostaphylos viscida | Whiteleaf Manzanita