Plant Highlights

Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia is a species of manzanita known as Del Mar Manzanita. The Del Mar manzanita is the rarest of the six recognized subspecies of Eastwood Manzanita. Small to medium sized evergreen shrub with thick leathery leaves and clusters of dainty urn-shaped white to pink flowers in late winter to early spring. It can survive long periods of drought and periodic fires by crown-sprouting from a well developed basal burl. Like other manzanitas the flowers are an important source of nectar for insect and hummingbird species while the fruits serve as an important food source for mammals that live in the region where the plants occur. This shrub was native to the coastal slopes of western North America from Oregon to Baja California. However, they can be found now only within the rare and threatened maritime chaparral plant community. Due to extensive urban expansion many former substantial populations have since been severely fragmented and exist only as isolated individuals on remnant city parcels. Some of the best populations exist and are protected at Torrey Pines State Reserve.