A mid to large sized shrub  Mission Manzanita is local to a small coastal region of the pacific and inland Chaparral areas of San Diego and Southern Riverside counties. The leaves are dark green in color and oblong in shape  curling as they grow in age. Flowers are found from December to February and are pink to white at the base  shading to yellow at the petal tip. The bark is a deep red in hue and can be smooth to the touch. This an extremely hardy  drought tolerant shrub that can be pruned as a small tree.