Carried by 11 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Arctostaphylos cruzensis is a species of Heath (Ericaceae) known by the common names La Cruz manzanita and Arroyo de la Cruz manzanita. This shrub is endemic to California, where it grows in the sand of the coastline in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties. It is considered rare due to its limited distribution. This region experiences summer fog that is an important part of its water budget. This is a very petite manzanita which grows flat on the ground or shaped into a low mound. The stem is covered in red shreddy bark. The small, pointed oval leaves are bright green and sometimes slightly toothed or with a fringe of hairs along the reddish edges. The flowers are very pale pink and urn-shaped with tapered throats. The fruits are hairy drupes up to a centimeter in diameter and containing angular seeds.
Shrub
8 - 40 in Tall
5 ft Wide
Mounding
Moderate
Evergreen
Slight
Pink, White, Green, Red
Winter, Spring
Partial Shade
Very Low, Low
Max 2x / month once established
Moderate
Tolerates cold to 30° F
Fast, Medium, Slow
Typically sandy, but also tolerates clay.
Tolerates saline soil..
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0
Seeds or cuttings
Coastal bluffs and terraces of San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties
Chaparral, Closed-cone Pine Forest, Coastal Sage Scrub, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Northern Coastal Scrub, Valley Grassland
Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), Dwarf Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis), Blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus), Coffeeberry (Frangula californica), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana), Twinberry Honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata), Sticky Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus), Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata), Black Sage (Salvia mellifera), and Lupines (Lupinus spp.).
Butterflies and moths supported
0 confirmed and 27 likely
Western Avocado Leafroller Moth
Amorbia cuneana
Orange Tortrix Moth
Argyrotaenia franciscana