Taxon Report

Arctostaphylos pajaroensis Adams

Pajaro manzanita

Print Report

Lynn Overtree

Taxon Summary

Arctostaphylos pajaroensis, commonly known as Pajaro manzanita, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Ericaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, growing at elevations from 30 to 760 meters. Arctostaphylos pajaroensis is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Arctostaphylos pajaroensis Adams
Common Name:	Pajaro manzanita
Family:	Ericaceae
Element Code:	PDERI04100
USDA Plants Symbol:	ARPA3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Dec-Mar	Dec-Mar
Elevation:	30-760 (100-2495)
General Habitats:	Chaparral
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_UCSC
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	28
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	2
Fair (C)	2
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	2
Unknown (U)	20

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Monterey (MNT), San Benito (SBT), Santa Cruz (SCR)*
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Hollister (3612174), Marina (3612167), Monterey (3612158), Moss Landing (3612177), Mt. Harlan (3612164), Prunedale (3612176), Salinas (3612166), Seaside (3612157), Watsonville East (3612186), Watsonville West (3612187)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	9
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	13	46 %
Development	8	28%
Improper burning regime	3	10%
Road/trail construction/maint.	3	10%
Agriculture	2	7%
ORV activity	2	7%
Other	1	3%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	3%
Non-native plant impacts	1	3%
Disease	1	3%

Notes




Threats:
Threatened by development and non-native plants. Possibly threatened by road construction.
Taxonomy:
See Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 56:41 (1940) for original description.

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 17 November 2025].