Otay manzanita facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Otay manzanita |
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A. otayensis
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| Arctostaphylos otayensis Wiesl. & B. Schrieb.
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Arctostaphylos otayensis, also known as the Otay manzanita, is a special kind of manzanita plant. It's a type of shrub that grows in the mountains of San Diego County in California. This plant is endemic to California, which means it only grows naturally in this specific area and nowhere else in the world!
What Does Otay Manzanita Look Like?
The Otay manzanita is an upright shrub that can grow quite tall. It sometimes reaches up to 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) in height. Imagine a plant taller than most adults!
Bark and Leaves
This manzanita has interesting bark. When it's young, the bark is reddish and peels off in strips. This is called "shreddy" bark. As the plant gets older, its bark turns a grayish color. Its leaves are smooth, oval-shaped, and have a pointed tip.
Flowers and Fruit
When the Otay manzanita blooms, it produces many flowers. These flowers grow together in dense clusters. The flowers are usually a pale pink color, but they have bright magenta (a purplish-red color) highlights. This makes them very pretty! After the flowers, the plant grows fruit. The fruit is a red drupe, which is a fleshy fruit with a hard pit inside. Each fruit is about one half to one centimeter wide.
