Regional natives of particular interest: Xylococcus bicolor - Mission Manzanita

(click on underlined title to see more)Mission Manzanita - Xylococcus, usually 6 to 10 feet in a couple or few decades, depending on the water; though potentially gets up to 15 to 18 feet with adequate water, but it might take several decades or more.  Blooms in Winter.  Top photo with Salvia mellifera at front right corner.           Second photo is mostly Xyl., including the high growth in the back, and a little bit of Xyl. in the left front corner mingled slightly with Adenostoma fasciculatum; Yucca schidigera at left.  Also, the second photo faintly shows the reddish berries of the Xyl.   The third photo from top is a pruned-shaped-sculpted Xyl., showing off a classic vital structure, suitable for residential landscaping.   The Bottom photo(Xyl. left, Com. right, Adenostoma, upright foreground bits at right) exemplifies the most common way of telling the difference between Xylococcus and Comarostaphylis every day of the year, - even when not in bloom or without fruit -, which is that Xyl. has the classic smooth bark typical of Manzanita, though often flaky, and of a light to medium brown to rouge brown or darker brown color, whereas Com. has a striated, textured, not smooth like Manzanita, light-grey colored bark, though, young small-diameter twig bark is usually rouge brown and a bit flaky-stringy.  And, the leaves of Com. have serration along their entire edge, ranging from a noticeable fine serration on short growth twigs, to a very prominent serration on rapid growth shoots.  Xyl. has practically no serration, or rarely a little bit, on less than half of the leaf edge when the plant is young.   And of course the fruits and flowering are distinctly different, making it quite easy to differentiate, though the bark difference is clear enough for differentiating.  Photos North Clairemont.

CSLB
C27 893456

ISA
WE-8027A

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