The endangered Raven’s manzanita is one of the San Francisco peninsula’s unique subspecies of Hooker’s manzanita. Discovered by Missouri Botanical Gardens curator Peter Raven as a young man, it is now reduced to a single plant near the World War II memorial in the Presidio. Cuttings from the mother plant have been grown and outplanted in the area. A Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan came out in 2002, calling for more cuttings planted in the Presidio and other natural areas of the San Francisco peninsula.
Did You Know?
Even if California and the West gets more rainfall with global warming, earlier snow melt and hotter summers will likely produce more drought stress, increasing susceptibility to pathogens and invasive species.