Arctostaphylos franciscana

Arctostaphylos franciscana, known by the common name Franciscan manzanita, is a species of manzanita. It was named by Alice Eastwood and is native to the city of San Francisco.

Taxonomy
Franciscan manzanita was formerly considered as a subspecies of Hooker's manzanita until elevated to full species rank following modern genetic analysis and comparisons.

Conservation
When the Laurel Hill Cemetery in San Francisco was bulldozed in 1947, it was thought that the Arctostaphylos franciscana went extinct. In 2009, one wild specimen of the shrub was discovered in the Presidio by a local conservationist. The land the plant was found on was part of the Caltrans Doyle Drive Replacement Project and was not protected, which prompted litigation. The single shrub found was moved and was used to try to reproduce the species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the Franciscan manzanita as an endangered species on October 5, 2012. The National Park Service and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy are attempting to cross-pollinate and propagate the preserved specimen in order to reintroduce the subspecies in the wild.