Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560. (Published by NYBG Press)
Ericaceae
Arctostaphylos arguta var. diversifolia Parry, Arctostaphylos diversifolia (Parry) Parry ex A.Gray
Species Description - Erect, evergreen shrubs, or small trees to 6(-9) m tall and 0.3 m dbh, capable of stump-sprouting, lignotuber to 1.3 m in diam, sometimes present; bark peeling to shredding, gray to reddish; young twigs gray-tomentose. Leaves coriaceous, lance-elliptic to elliptic to obovate or broadly ovate, 3-12.8 × 1-4.2 cm, (to 14.9 x 8.1 cm on sucker shoots), base tapering to cuneate, apex obtuse to acute, margins plane to strongly re volute, serrate to serrulate or rarely subentire, upper surface green and shining, glabrous or with some pubescence along the midvein, lower surface densely gray-tomentose or rarely subglabrous; petioles 2-20 mm long, gray-tomentose. Inflorescences racemose, solitary or clustered, 3.5-14 cm long, gray-tomentose, canescent or more rarely with stalked swollen-headed glandular trichomes; floral bracts lance-linear to narrowly oblong-ovate to oblong-ovale, plane to navicular, 210 mm long; pedicels often curved, 5-20 mm long; bracteoles basal or rarely higher on the pedicel, often reduced, acicular to narrowly triangular, to 3 mm long. Flowers with calyx lobes narrowly triangular to subulate or nearly acicular, 2-3.5 × 0.8-1.7 mm, acute to acuminate, gray-tomentose, rarely with glandular trichomes; corollas 5-8 × 3.5-5.5 mm, glabrous or puberulent, white, lobes obtuse, 0.91.3 × 1.4-1.8 mm; stamens 2.6-3.6 mm long; filaments 2.3-3.4 mm long, villous; anthers 1-1.6 mm long, spurs 0.6-1.1 mm long; ovary villous; style 3-5.3 mm long, glabrous to pubescent. Fruit red at maturity, 5-7 mm in diam.; seeds 2.2-2.3 × 1-1.4 mm, surface broadly reticulate; n = 13 (Hagerup, 1928).
Comarostaphylis diversifolia is fairly widely cultivated (Raven, 1966), and is the only species in the genus commonly used horticulturally. McMinn (1949), Munz (1950), and Schmidt (1980a) give detailed discussions of horticultural considerations.Comarostaphylis diversifolia is the most distinctive member of the genus, easily recognized by the unique red fruit, the narrow (narrowly triangular to subulate or nearly acicular) calyx lobes, and the usually gray-tomentose inflorescences. It is also unique in range, being quite isolated from the rest of the genus, and in elevation, being the only species found below approximately 1350 m. The species consists of two allopatric subspecies which differ primarily in characters of leaf and inflorescence morphology.
Distribution and Ecology: Comarostaphylis diversifolia ranges from approximately 55 km suth of Ensenada, Baja Calif, to the Santa Monica Mts. in S Santa Barbara Co., Calif. It is the only species in the genus to occur entirely outside the Neotropics. The species is most abundant on the Channel Islands (Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa) off the coast of S California, but also occurs at scattered localities on the mainland near the coast. It is often found in areas of mediterranean climate (Raven, 1973), in woodland (Thorne, 1967), and chaparral vegetation at elevations from near sea level to approximately 600 m. Stebbens (1984, pers. comm.) has suggested that the distribution of C. diversifolia and a number of sympatric species, far N of related taxa, may be the result of plate tectonic movements. Flowering (Jan-)Mar-Jul; fruiting (Mar-)May-Sep(-Oct).
mock arbute, mock arbutus