Taxon Report

Arctostaphylos virgata Eastw.

Marin manzanita

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Arctostaphylos virgata, commonly known as Marin manzanita, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Ericaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, and North Coast coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 60 to 700 meters. Arctostaphylos virgata is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Arctostaphylos virgata Eastw.
Common Name:	Marin manzanita
Family:	Ericaceae
Element Code:	PDERI041K0
USDA Plants Symbol:	ARVI3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Jan-Mar	Jan-Mar
Elevation:	60-700 (195-2295)
General Habitats:	Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, North Coast coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Granitic (sometimes), Sandstone (sometimes)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_USDA
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	32
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	4
Fair (C)	3
Poor (D)	2
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	22

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Marin (MRN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bolinas (3712286), Double Point (3712287), Drakes Bay (3812218), Inverness (3812217), San Geronimo (3812216), San Rafael (3712285), Tomales (3812228)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	5
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	16	50 %
Other	9	28%
Road/trail construction/maint.	9	28%
Wood cutting or brush clearing	6	18%
Erosion/runoff	1	3%
Non-native plant impacts	1	3%

Notes




Threats:
Threatened by fire suppression.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Trees and Shrubs 1:203 (1905)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 7 November 2025].