Taxon Report

Arctostaphylos cruzensis Roof

Arroyo de la Cruz manzanita

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Arctostaphylos cruzensis, commonly known as Arroyo de la Cruz 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, Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal scrub, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 60 to 310 meters. Arctostaphylos cruzensis is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Arctostaphylos cruzensis Roof
Common Name:	Arroyo de la Cruz manzanita
Family:	Ericaceae
Element Code:	PDERI040B0
USDA Plants Symbol:	ARCR6
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Dec-Mar	Dec-Mar
Elevation:	60-310 (195-1015)
General Habitats:	Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal scrub, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:	Sandy
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G1G2
State Rank:	S1S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_SBBG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	8
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	2
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	4

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Monterey (MNT), San Luis Obispo (SLO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Cambria (3512151), Cape San Martin (3512184), Piedras Blancas (3512163)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	3	38 %
Grazing	2	25%
Other	1	12%
Wood cutting or brush clearing	1	12%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	12%

Notes



See Leaflets of Western Botany 9:218 (1962) for original description.
Threats:
Possibly threatened by development and grazing. Potentially threatened by frequent wildfires and fire suppression activities.
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 24 October 2025].