Back from the Brink

Photo by Daniel Gluesenkamp, Marin Independent Journal

The Franciscan Manzanita once thought extinct was saved when a lone plant was found on a median during Golden Gate Bridge construction.  It is now being propagated through clones at Arboretums around the state including UCSC.  Our friends at Audubon Canyon Ranch in Marin played an instrumental role in relocating the plant from the median a year ago yesterday.  A year to the date later, young clones are hitting the soil in places around California.

Rescued from the verge of extinction, a single wild specimen of a rare California plant now has hundreds of progeny -- celebrated Wednesday in a festive planting ceremony at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum.

A reversal of fate at a time of so many tough environmental challenges, the future of the Franciscan manzanita now seems secure.

On a sun-drenched afternoon, two of the precious seedlings were nestled into holes along an ocean-facing hillside, gently covered with soil, then ogled by admirers.