Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office

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Species Account

PALLID MANZANITA

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STATUS: Threatened. This means that we are worried about the species but that it is not in danger of going extinct right now.

We are working on a recovery plan. It includes this species. It also includes the Alameda Whipsnake.

DESCRIPTION: Pallid manzanita is a woody shrub. It grows about 2 to 4 meters high. (6.5 to 13 ft)

Bark is rough and gray or reddish. (See picture. Twigs and leaves are bristly.

HABITAT: Thin soils in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Often surrounded by oak woodlands and coastal shrub.

REPRODUCTION: Pallid manzanita makes flowers between December and March. The seeds need to be scarred in order to grow. Wildfire was the way that this happened.

Fire helps reproduction in other ways. It removes leaf and bark litter, fallen fruits and roots. These things can keep the seeds from germinating. Learn more.

RANGE: Alameda and Contra Costa counties, California. 656 to 1,460 feet in elevation.

THREATS: Wildfire prevention is the main threat. Like many plants, pallid manzanita needs occasional fires to thrive. As we mentioned above, fire is important for reproduction. It also keeps the species from getting too much shade. Shade allows fungus to grow. The fungus causes bark to strip off.

Because homes are now being built close to the manzanita plants, people try to prevent wildfires. Read our story about controlled burns in the East Bay.

Credits: Photos by FWS. Drawing of chaparral species, Miriam Morrill, FWS.

Contact us: Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825
Phone (916) 414-6600 ~ FAX (916) 414-6713

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a part of the United States Government Department of Interior.

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