Mission Manzanita, Xylococcus bicolor

About Mission Manzanita (Xylococcus bicolor) 17 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Mission Manzanita is a shrub that grows up to 20 feet tall, and 20 feet in diameter. Its native range is very limited, comprising Southwestern and Pacific coastal California from San Diego county through north-central Pacific coastal Baja California, a small area in the foothills northwest of Pasadena in Los Angeles Country, a bit of southern Riverside County near Temecula, and Santa Catalina Island. Mission Manzanita is a slow growing shrub that resembles the true manzanitas (Arctostaphylos).

The form is upright or rounded, with one or multiple trunks. Leaves are oblong, glossy dark green on the top and very light colored with a felty texture on the underside. The edges of the leaves curl under as they age. Bark is smooth and a red-gray color. Flowers, which appear from December to February depending on rainfall, are white to pink in color blending to yellowish at the open end, 8-10 millimeter; in length and hang like bells in small clusters near the ends of branches. Fruit is glossy dark red to almost black, 7 millimeter; diameter and has very little flesh, being mostly a large, woody seed. The name Xylococcus comes from the Greek for "wood berry".

Mission Manzanita is found mixed southern chaparral ecosystems below 3500' elevation on dry, sunny slopes in a very limited range of coastal areas of southern California and northern Baja California. Coyotes and birds, including the California Thrasher and Scrub Jay, eat the fruit. Hummingbirds, especially the resident Anna's Hummingbird, drink nectar from flowers. Various birds nest in Mission Manzanita and many use it for cover. It re-sprouts from a basal burl after fires, and is extremely long lived. Some specimens are estimated to be over 400 years old.

Best to plant Mission Manzanita in early winter, on dry rocky slopes with fast draining soil. Put plenty of mulch and a few good sized rocks near the roots to prevent summer moisture loss. It likes regular light watering (1x every 2 weeks) during the first summer after planting, After established, it should survive the dry months with no supplementary water, though it can usually handle summer watering as much as once per month for it's first 2-3 years. After that, best to naturalize. This plant prefers to have its leaves in full sun, but likes its roots in the shade. Does best on north facing slopes.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

5 - 20 ft tall
5 - 20 ft wide

Form

Rounded, Upright Columnar

Growth Rate

Slow

Dormancy

Evergreen, Summer Semi-Deciduous

Fragrance

Slight

Flower Color

Pink, White

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Coyotes, Anna's Hummingbirds, California Thrasher, Scrub Jay
Hummingbird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 17

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 25° F

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

Tolerates most soils as long as drainage is fast. Soil PH: 6 - 7

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Deer Resistant, Hummingbird Gardens, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Sugar Bush, Spiny Redberry, Black Sage, Ceanothus crassifolius, Ceanothus tomentosus, Ceanothus leucodermis, Chamise, Scrub Oak, Mountain Mahogany

Propagation?

Because Mission Manzanitas are long lived, they do not depend on frequent propagation to sustain themselves. In years with good fall rains, seedlings can be numerous in January, but few survive their first year. Seedlings grow slowly--they are typically only 3" tall at three years old. Plants can be propagated by breaking seeds out of their brittle woody stones. They germinate in two weeks when stratified at 55F. Because this process requires considerable labor for relatively few successful seedlings, propagation in nurseries is almost entirely through cuttings.

Sunset Zones?

14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry open slopes, ridges, canyons and mesas as part of mixed southern chaparral or southern maritime chaparral ecosystems below 3500' elevation in a very limited range of coastal areas of southern California and northern Baja California.

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 9.8" - 32.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.21" - 2.41", Coldest Month: 39.4" - 57.3", Hottest Month: 63.9" - 79.6", Humidity: 0.99" - 25.91", Elevation: 6" - 5762"

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Mission Manzanita

Xylococcus bicolor

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Mission ManzanitaXylococcus bicolor

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Mission Manzanita

Xylococcus bicolor