Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Arctostaphylos stanfordiana is a species in the Ericaceae (Heath) family known by the common name Stanford's manzanita. It is endemic to California, in the outer North Coast Ranges north of the San Francisco Bay Area. This is a bushy shrub growing one half meter to two meters in height. Leaves are oblong to widely lance-shaped, shiny green, and up to 5 centimeters long. The flower cluster is a loose cluster of urn-shaped manzanita flowers which are pink, with some so pale that they are nearly white. The fruit is an oblong drupe about 7 millimeters wide. In the garden this Manzanita is very versatile, being tolerant of a variety of soils (including serpentine) and climates. It has especially attractive bark. Baker's Manzanita was formerly considered a subspecies of stanfordiana, and some sources may still refer to it that way; however, Arctostaphylos bakeri is now considered a separate species. Stanfordiana still has 2 recognized subspecies, decumbens and raichei, both of which are rare in the wild.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

4 - 9 ft Tall
6 ft Wide

Form

Rounded

Dormancy

Evergreen

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Color

Pink, White

Flowering season

Winter, Spring

Special uses

Hedge

Sun

Partial Shade

Water

Low, Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Ease of care

Easy

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil drainage

Medium, Slow

Soil description

Tolerates clay soil. Tolerates serpentine soil..
Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.5

Maintenance

Takes pruning well and can be shaped into a hedge. Prune in late summer to avoid infection

Propagation

Seeds or cuttings

Site type

Slopes, ridges and canyons of the northern Coast Ranges

Plant communities

Chaparral, Mixed Evergreen Forest

In the wild it occurs with California Barberry (Berberis pinnata), various Ceanothus spp., California Coffeeberry (Frangula californica), Silktassel (Garrya elliptica or fremontii), Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), Gooseberry (Ribes spp.), Snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.), and California Wild Grape (Vitis californica). Can also be used with virtually any native chaparral plants

Bats
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 43 likely

Confirmed Likely

Acronicta perdita

Aethaloida packardaria

Miranda Underwing

Amphipyra pyramidoides