Taxon Report

Arctostaphylos rainbowensis J. Keeley & Massihi

Rainbow manzanita

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Arctostaphylos rainbowensis, commonly known as Rainbow manzanita, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Ericaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, growing at elevations from 205 to 670 meters. Arctostaphylos rainbowensis is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Arctostaphylos rainbowensis J. Keeley & Massihi
Common Name:	Rainbow manzanita
Family:	Ericaceae
Element Code:	PDERI042T0
USDA Plants Symbol:	ARRA7
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Dec-Mar	Dec-Mar
Elevation:	205-670 (675-2200)
General Habitats:	Chaparral
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G2G3
State Rank:	S2S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CRES; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	89
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	7
Good (B)	7
Fair (C)	6
Poor (D)	3
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	66

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Riverside (RIV), San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Fallbrook (3311743), Margarita Peak (3311744)?, Morro Hill (3311733), Murrieta (3311752), Pala (3311731), Pechanga (3311741), Sitton Peak (3311754), Temecula (3311742), Valley Center (3311721), Wildomar (3311753)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	10
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	32	36 %
Development	26	29%
Agriculture	10	11%
Improper burning regime	4	4%
Non-native plant impacts	4	4%
Other	4	4%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	4	4%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	2%
ORV activity	1	1%
Military operations	1	1%
Mining	1	1%

Notes



Previously called A. peninsularis ssp. peninsularis or considered to be a hybrid between A. glandulosa and A. glauca. Not in The Jepson Manual. See Madroño 41(1):2 (1994) for original description.
Threats:
Threatened by development and agricultural conversion.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 15 November 2025].