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Arctostaphylos purissima  P. V. Wells
La purisima manzanita,   La purissima manzanita
© 2019 Susan McDougall
© 2016 George Williams
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2020 David Greenberger
© 2020 Bryant Baker
© 2017 Adonis Tate
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2020 Bryant Baker
© 2021 Bryant Baker
© 2021 Bryant Baker
© 2019 Susan McDougall
© 2016 George Williams
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2019 Susan McDougall
© 2019 Susan McDougall
© 2019 Susan McDougall
© 2019 Bryant Baker
© 2019 Bryant Baker
© 2020 David Greenberger
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2021 Mike Russler
© 2019 Susan McDougall
© 2019 Susan McDougall
Arctostaphylos purissima is a shrub that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.1 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~315 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Arctostaphylos
Family: Ericaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Communities: Chaparral
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + JEF + CNPS + PLANTS + POWO

Information about  Arctostaphylos purissima from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (ARPU10)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Distribution, Description: Distribution The plant is endemic to western Santa Barbara County, California, including in the Santa Ynez Mountains and near Lompoc and the location of Mission La Purísima Concepción. It is a plant of the Coastal sage scrub chaparral habitats, on sandstone soils. Description Arctostaphylos purissima is a shrub reaching at least 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height, and known to exceed 4 metres (13 ft) tall. It varies in shape from low and spreading to tall and erect. It is coated in long, white bristles and a dense foliage of shiny, hairless green leaves. Each leaf is round to oval in shape and smooth along the edges, and up to 2.5 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a hanging cluster of spherical to urn-shaped manzanita flowers each about half a centimeter long. The fruit is a hairless drupe between one half and one centimeter wide. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/28/2025).