A San Francisco plant once thought extinct is still hanging on

[jpak]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0802-extinct-plant-20110802,0,5470501.story

Reporting from San Francisco— The Franciscan manzanita — described by some as San Francisco's unicorn — thrives in a kind of botanical witness protection program.

Only one specimen of the low-growing shrub exists anywhere in the wild; until recently, it was believed to be extinct, having fallen victim generations ago in this city's battle between nature and development.

Today, the manzanita occupies a 7-square-foot patch of hillside in a 1,500-acre national park known as the Presidio of San Francisco. There is no sign attesting to its presence. It is not marked on any map. Coast live oak trees guard the weedy lot where California icons, serpentine rock and bright orange poppies, keep the modest bush company.

Park officials speak proudly of the manzanita, its ecological import, its improbable, now-you-see-it-now-you-don't story. Do not, however, ask them where it grows in their outpost at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. They will not tell you. Secrecy, and a nursery rich with seeds and rooted cuttings, are cornerstones of the Presidio's plan to reintroduce the rare plant.

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[Chimichurri]

1. manzanita in spanish means little apple. Interesting story.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. more details

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/arctostaphylos-hookeri-franciscana-franciscana-manzanita

with pics. it's kind of pretty, for a shrub