12 Native Manzanita Trees In California (Pictures & Identification)

If you are a fan of flowering shrubs, then Manzanita is a perfect addition to your garden or backyard. If you are in California, then you are in luck, because out of the 60 varieties, 56 are native to the state. 

Having a large number of native species means that you will have a greater selection to choose from. And, to help you with that, we have curated a list of 12 highly attractive native manzanita trees in California.

So, let’s get started.

1. Hoary Manzanita

• Common Name: Hoary Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos canescens
• Mature Height: up to 2 meters (6.5 feet)
• Flowers: White to pink
• Fruits: Spherical
• Uses: Ornamental

Hoary manzanita is an upright shrub that can reach heights of up to 6.5 feet (2 meters). Its leaves stand straight up on petioles that are only 3-10 mm long. The 2-5 cm long blades have round or wedge-shaped bases and are completely smooth along their edges. 

Both the top and bottom are a drab grey and have a delicate, tiny hairy covering. Drooping bracts that are broad and green and covered with tiny white hairs that may end in glands characterize the inflorescences, which are compact and measure just 1-2 cm in length. 

The fruits are round, 5-10 mm in diameter, and covered with fine hairs; the blossoms are white to pink. Short grey hair covers the twigs, while the bark is smooth and a deep red color. 

From southeastern Oregon to the Santa Cruz Mountains, Hoary Manzanita can be found growing in lowland coastal range conifer forests and chaparrals between 300 and 1,500 meters in altitude (1,000-5,000 ft). All of the plant’s parts, except for the red bark, have a gloomy, ashy (hoary) tone that makes it instantly recognized. 

Some populations of manzanitas are hairier than others, but this is typical of the genus. No new growth appears following fires in the burls. The sonomensis subspecies of A. canescens is exceptionally rare.

2. Hairy Manzanita

• Common Name: Hairy Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos columbiana
• Mature Height: 10ft
• Flowers: White to pink

The Hairy Manzanita is a tiny tree or shrub that can grow to be 3 meters (10 feet) tall. Petioles are 4 to 10 mm long, with oval to elliptical blades and wedge-shaped or spherical bases with smooth borders. 

The blade surfaces are gray-green and coated in thin, minute hairs. It has open inflorescences with flower stalks 15 to 25 mm long and bracts 10 to 18 mm long, lance-shaped, and covered in bristles or fine hairs. 

Flowers range from white to pink, and the fruits are spherical, 8 to 10 mm in diameter, brilliant red, slightly hairy, sticky, and with a deep dimple. The twigs are densely coated with small hairs as well as long white bristles that may end in glands, and the bark is smooth and dark reddish-brown. 

Hairy Manzanita is native to the western Klamath Mountains, northern Coast Ranges, and the Pacific Northwest, where it grows in coniferous forests, chaparrals, and coastal scrubs at elevations ranging from sea level to 750 meters (2,500 feet). 

It’s similar to Eastwood Manzanita and Woollyleaf Manzanita, but unlike those two, it doesn’t emerge from a burl after a fire. Columbia Manzanita is another name for it.

3. Eastwood Manzanita

• Common Name: Eastwood Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos glandulosa
• Mature Height: 6.5 ft
• Flowers: White
• Uses: Ornamental

Eastwood Manzanita is a 2-meter tall erect shrub (6.5 feet). It has hairy petioles that are 5-10 millimeters (.2-.4 inches) long and elliptical to lance-shaped leaves that are 2-4.5 centimeters (.75-1.75 inches) long with round bases and smooth or serrated margins. 

The leaves are green to grey and become less hairy with age. The inflorescences are thick, and the flower stalks are 1-3 cm long (.4-1.2 inches). 

The bracts are 8-15 millimeters (.3-.6 inch) long and coated in tiny hairs. The blooms are white, and the fruits are spherical, 6-10 millimeters (.25-.4 inch) broad, sticky, reddish brown, and hairy, with a dimple. 

The twigs are coated with bristly hairs that often end in glands, while the bark is smooth and crimson. It is a complex of six subspecies, one of which (A. g. ssp. crassifolia) is considered rare. 

The species is known to emerge from the burl after a fire, and its fruits and foliage provide food for birds and small mammals. Native People ground the dried fruits into flour, and the fruits can also be converted into jelly. Eastwood Manzanita is also planted as an ornamental plant.

4. Bigberry Manzanita

• Common Name: Bigberry Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos glauca
• Mature Height: 7-23 ft
• Flowers: White and tinged with pink
• Uses: Ornamental

Bigberry manzanita is a tiny tree or shrub that can grow up to 7 meters in height and has a bright red fruit (23 feet).

The petioles on its upright leaves are a modest 6-15 millimeters in length (.25-.6 in). Both sides of the oval-shaped blades are the same dull, waxy, and greyish-green color and texture. The blades range in length from 2.5 to 5 centimeters (1 to 2 inches). 

The inflorescences are open at the top and droop at the bottom; the smallest scales measure 3-6 mm (.1-.25 in) in length, and the lowest bract is 10-15 cm (4-6 in) long and leaf-like. 

White flowers with a pink tinge are accompanied by round, sticky fruits that measure about 13 mm (.5 in) in diameter. The bark is smooth and dark red, while the twigs are covered in a greenish wax and sometimes tiny bristles. 

It is common to find big berry manzanita in forests, chaparrals, and desert mountains across the state of California and the Mexican state of Baja California. Its altitude tolerance ranges from near sea level to about 1,400 m. (4,500 feet). 

Large fruits and a towering stature are telltale signs of this species, which does not regenerate from a burl following fires. In hot and dry climates, it is grown for its decorative value, while birds and small mammals like the fruits it produces. 

An interesting fact is that the chemicals made by the Bigberry Manzanita’s leaves, which are mostly found near the tree’s drip line, slow down the growth of the same plants every year.

5. Common Manzanita

• Common Name: Common Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos manzanita
• Mature Height: 7m (23ft)
• Flowers: White 
• Uses: Medicinal, Ornamental

The Common Manzanita is an erect shrub or tree that grows to a height of 7 meters (23 feet) and has no burls. It has oval to oblong leaves that are 2-5 centimeters long, with petioles that are 6-12 millimeters long. 

The leaf’s two surfaces are either dull or lustrous, green or gray-green, and hairless. The inflorescences are 15-45 millimeters long, open, and droopy, with little scale-like bracts appressed to the stalks. 

The flowers are white, and the fruits are 8-12 millimeters in diameter, spherical, and deep crimson. The bark is smooth and reddish brown, and the twigs are coated with thin, fine white hairs. 

The Common Manzanita grows in forests, woodlands, and chaparrals at lower elevations around California’s Central Valley, from Contra Costa and Mariposa Counties in the south to the Klamath Mountains and northern Coast Ranges in the north. 

It can be found at elevations ranging from 100 meters (300 feet) to 1,200 meters (4,000 feet). It is divided into six subspecies according to leaf color and hairiness, and it can hybridize with other manzanita species. 

Also, these manzanita trees in California are not fire-resistant and do not sprout from burls that have been burned. 

Birds and small mammals consume their fruits, and the leaves can be used to cure urinary tract infections. Its fruits can be used to produce jelly, and the wood of larger stems can be carved into novelty objects.

6. Pinemat Manzanita

• Common Name: Pinemat Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos nevadensis
• Mature Height: 2ft
• Flowers: White to pink
• Uses: Ornamental

Pinemat Manzanita is a low-growing, mound-forming shrub that can grow up to 60 centimeters tall (2 feet). 

It looks different from other manzanita species because it doesn’t have burls and its leaves are long, lance-shaped to egg-shaped, and wider above the middle. And, they have smooth margined leaves that are 1-3 cm (0.4-1.2 inches) in length. 

The inflorescences are densely packed, and the flower stalks are 5-10 mm (0.2-0.4 inch) long. The fruits are spherical, about 6 mm (0.25 inch) across, and have a mealy, brown surface with no bristles. Fine hairs cover the twigs, and exfoliating curls cover the crimson bark. 

Pinemat Manzanita grows from 300 to 3,000 meters in northern California’s montane and subalpine coniferous forests and chaparrals (1,000-10,000 feet). It is frequently confused with bearberry, another species of prostrate manzanita. 

The leaves and range of the two species, however, are significantly different. Pinemat manzanita also hybridizes with upright greenleaf manzanita and white-leaf manzanita, resulting in plants with intermediate habit and leaf features. It has no commercial applications, however, it is occasionally planted as an ornamental.

7. Glossyleaf Manzanita

• Common Name: Glossyleaf Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos nummularia
• Mature Height: .5-2ft
• Flowers: White
• Uses: Ornamental

Glossyleaf Manzanita is a prostrate shrub that can grow up to 60 centimeters tall (2 feet). Its leaves are round or heart-shaped and cupped, with petioles that are just 1-3 mm long and leaf blades that are 1-2.2 cm long. 

The leaf’s upper surface is dark green and lustrous, while the below surface is light green with bristles along the midrib. It has thick inflorescences and flower stalks that are 5-10 mm long. 

The flowers are small and white, while the fruits are oblong, measuring about 3 mm long and 2 mm wide. The twigs and branches are thickly hairy and coated in bristles with glands at the tips. The bark is smooth and bright red. 

This species is found on the north coast’s coniferous woods and chaparrals, as well as in the Santa Cruz Mountains, mainly in seasonally wet areas with acid soils. It grows from sea level to 750 meters (2,500 feet). 

Glossyleaf Manzanita’s size depends on the type of soil it grows in. Plants that lie down grow in barren, acidic soils, while plants that stand up growth in the middle of the country. 

Glossyleaf Manzanita reproduces vegetatively through branch-to-ground contact, although it does not sprout after the fire. It is mostly used as a decorative shrub.

8. Parry Manzanita

• Common Name: Parry Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos parryana
• Mature Height: 7ft
• Flowers: White
• Uses: Ornamental

The Parry Manzanita is a prostrate or mounded shrub that can reach a height of 2 meters (7 feet). 

It has tall leaves with petioles that are 5-10 mm long. Round or elliptical blades with smooth edges are 1.5-5 cm in length and 1.5-2.5 cm wide. Both sides of the blade are comparable in color and texture, being brilliant green and glossy. 

Flower stalks are 5-15 mm long and the inflorescences are thick. The majority of the bracts are microscopic scales, but the lowest bract is bigger and more leaf-like. The flowers are white, and the fruits are spherical, 9 mm broad, and hairless. 

Twigs are either hairless or contain a lot of fine white hair. When branches come into contact with the earth, they spread and frequently root. Also, the bark is a deep crimson color. 

The Parry Manzanita grows in the Transverse Ranges’ montane coniferous forests and chaparrals at elevations ranging from 1,200 to 2,300 meters (4,000 to 7,500 feet). 

It is similar to the greenleaf manzanita, but their habits differ; the greenleaf manzanita stands erect, whilst the Parry Manzanita is a spreading shrub. The leaves of the Parry Manzanita are also lighter in color.

9. Greenleaf Manzanita

• Common Name: Greenleaf Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos patula
• Mature Height: 6.5ft
• Flowers: Pink
• Uses: Food, Medicine, Ornamental

The Greenleaf Manzanita is a tall, straight shrub that can grow to a height of 2 meters (6.5 feet). 

Its leaves have stalks that are between 6 and 15 mm long and oval blades that are between 2.5 and 6 cm long. The surfaces of the leaves are smooth, shiny, and all the same green color. 

It has open inflorescences with flower stalks that are 15–30 mm long and bracts that look like small scales except for the lowest one, which looks like a leaf. 

The flowers are a light pink color, and the dark red fruits are round and 9 mm in diameter. Its branches are covered with sticky, golden hairs that end in glands, and its bark is a deep chestnut brown. 

The Greenleaf Manzanita grows in the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountains, Baja California, and the coastal and inland mountain ranges of California. It grows at altitudes from 600 to 13,300 meters (2,000-11,000 feet). In some areas, there are numerous trunks and burls, whereas in others there is only one trunk and no burls. 

It can survive fire and grow back from its burls. Its seeds can stay dormant in the ground for decades. Birds and small mammals eat the fruits, but they don’t like the leaves as much. 

Native Americans ate the fruit and used it to make cider and as a laxative. It is known to crossbreed with the common Whiteleaf Manzanita and the low-growing Pinemat Manzanita, making plants with habits and leaves in between those of the two parents.

10. Mexican Manzanita

• Common Name: Mexican Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos pungens
• Mature Height: 10ft
• Flowers: White
• Uses: Ornamental

Despite the name, this is one of the most common manzanita trees in California, particularly in the southern mountain ranges. It is a small tree or a bush that can stand straight or spread out. It has no burls and can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) tall. 

Its leaves have 4–8 mm long petioles and 1.5–4 cm long, elliptical or lance-shaped blades with wedge-shaped bases and smooth edges. Both sides of the blade look and feel the same. They are usually a dull, hairless, shiny green color. Most of the bracts on the inflorescences are big, leafy, and in the shape of a lance. 

The flowers are white, and the fruits are round, about 6 mm wide, with dimples, no hairs, and a brownish-red color. The branches have small, fine, white hairs on them, and the bark is smooth and reddish brown. 

The Mexican Manzanita grows in the mountains of southern California, where it lives in woodlands and forests between 600 and 2,100 m above sea level (2,000-7,000 ft). Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico also have it. 

Outside of southern California, you can find small groups of them in Monterey and San Benito Counties and the New York and Providence Mountains in the Mojave Desert. 

The Mexican Manzanita is different from many other manzanitas in that it does not grow new shoots from a burl after a fire. It doesn’t do anything in particular, but it can be grown as a pretty plant.

11. Woollyleaf Manzanita

• Common Name: Woollyleaf Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos tomentosa
• Mature Height: 8ft
• Flowers: White
• Uses: Ornamental

Woollyleaf Manzanita is a shrub that can reach a maximum height of 8 feet (2.5 meters).

The petioles are 2-5 mm long, and the blades are oblong, 2-5 cm long, with a flat or heart-shaped base and smooth margins. The top of the leaf is dark or bright green and glossy, while the underside is white from a thick layer of fine hair. 

The flower stalks, which range in length from 10 to 25 mm, form dense inflorescences. The bracts are often broad, lance-shaped leaves. 

The flowers are white, and the fruit is 6-10 mm wide and dimpled, brown, and hairy. White, fine, or bristly hair covers the twigs, and the bark is scaly and evergreen. 

This species can be found in the Channel Islands, the western Transverse Ranges, the far central Coast Ranges, and the northwest San Francisco Bay area. Its elevation range is from near sea level to a thousand meters (3,500 feet). 

There are nine recognized subspecies of this species, and several of them are quite uncommon or unusual. Every species can regrow from its burl after a fire has destroyed the surrounding area.

12. Whiteleaf Manzanita

• Common Name: Whiteleaf Manzanita
• Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos viscida
• Mature Height: 3.5-9.5 m (12-31 ft)
• Flowers: White to pink
• Uses: Ornamental

Whiteleaf manzanita is a tall, upright shrub that can grow up to 31 feet in height and 35 centimeters in diameter (14 inches). The petioles of its upright leaves are between 2 and 4 millimeters (0.08 and 0.16 inches) in length. 

The length of the oval leaf blades is between 10 and 25 millimeters (0.4 and 1 inch). The leaf surfaces are dull and waxy, and the margins can be either smooth or finely serrated. 

The bracts are primarily little scales, except for the lowest one which is bigger and leaf-like, and the inflorescences that branch out of the shrub are covered in small, spiky hairs. 

The fruits are round, dimpled, and either hairless or covered with little, sticky hairs, and the blossoms range in color from white to pink. Thin, prickly, glandular fur may blanket the shrub’s narrow twigs. 

The shrub has velvety, dark red-brown bark. The inner northern Coast Ranges, the Klamath Mountains, the Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada are all home to Whiteleaf Manzanita. At elevations between 120 m (400 ft) and 1,800 m (6,000 ft), it thrives in montane coniferous woods, woodlands, and chaparrals (6,000 feet). 

Even though the shrub grows in many places, it is not very useful for business and it is mostly used for decoration.

Native Manzanita Trees In California – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This section answers some of the questions related to manzanita trees in California and in general.

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Sources

The Regional Gardening team makes sure that the information in our articles is accurate by only using sources that are known to be trustworthy. Some of these sources are peer-reviewed journals from government agencies, well-known universities, and scientific research organizations.

1. California Forests, University Of California
2. California Native Plant Society
3. Native Plants, California Department Of Fish & Wildlife
4. California Natural Diversity Database