From December to February, white to pink urn-shaped flowers adorn the foliage, often attracting hummingbird pollinators.

There is growing concern over the future of this plant, referred to as the "queen of the elfin forest, " as it may possibly lose up to 88% of its habitat[3] and its wild seedlings are failing to survive more than a full year.

[4] Known to and utilized by the indigenous peoples for centuries, this species was first described to Western science by Thomas Nuttall, who had found it on his journey to California.

[5] Later botanists lumped this species into the true manzanitas (Arctostaphylos), but it has distinct features, such as the flowers and fruit, that support its generic placement.

Starting from the ground up, one will notice this evergreen shrub or tree has a burl, or lignotuber, an underground storage organ, which is topped by a smooth trunk with peeling red bark.

On the twigs are the alternately-arranged, leathery leaves, which have a lower surface that is densely covered with white to gray hairs.

[7] The name Xylococcus derives from the Greek word for "wood berry", which refers to the rock-hard stone the seeds are encased within.

The specific epithet, bicolor, refers to the leaves, which are a dark green on the top surface and a wooly-white on the bottom.

Previously reaching the west coast on a journey with Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth and then proceeding to Hawaii, Nuttall had arrived in San Diego aboard the hide ship Pilgrim, staying in the harbor for three weeks as he waited for a Bryant and Sturgis ship to sail him back to Boston.

Nuttall was one of few naturalists to step foot in the region at the time, being preceded by Menzies, Botta, Coulter, and Deppe, all of whom had only stopped in San Diego briefly.

Despite producing thousands of drupes annually, many intensive searches had failed to find seedlings, and it was believed that the species could no longer reproduce by seeds.

This means that despite the massive seed production, the giant sequoia seldom has young plants that can maintain the density of old groves.

[15] Some specimens of Xylococcus can live up to a century or more, and like the giant sequoia, produce thousands of their seeds annually through their drupes, meaning that perhaps their reproduction occurs on a longer ecological time scale.

[14] In 2008, a bioblitz in San Diego led to the discovery of 53 seedlings and possible saplings growing in Florida Canyon, Balboa Park.

[4][8] The Native American Luiseño people bruised ripe berries and soaked them overnight in cold water to produce a cider-like drink.

Once these radicles emerge, it is recommended to place the seeds into pots, in a soil mix with extra perlite to improve drainage.