Native Plant Database

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Elliptic , Ovate
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Size Notes: Height 1/2 to 2 feet, spread 8 feet or more.
Leaf: Light yellow-green.
Flower:
Fruit: Reddish-brown 1/4 inch across
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Time: Jan , Feb , Nov , Dec

Distribution

USA: CA
Native Distribution: Monterey Co., CA
Native Habitat: Chaparral; coastal bluffs & canyons; below 800 ft.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Poor, dry, well-drained soil.
Conditions Comments: Overhead watering can encourage fungal diseases, causing branches to die back. Plant roots along the stems. Often used as a ground cover. Fast-growing for a manzanita.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Makes a nice ground cover or border.
Use Food: Manzanita berries were used to make a refreshing, cider-like drink by indigenous peoples.
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Birds
Nectar Source: yes

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds , Softwood Cuttings
Description: Propagation by seed is can be difficult.
Seed Collection: The outer fleshy part of the furit may be removed by macering the fruits with water and separating the nutlets by flotation or air-screening.
Seed Treatment: Seeds of most Arctostaphylos species have hard seed coats and dormant embryos. Scarification (several hours in H2SO4) followed by stratification may improve germination.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Cut back when young to form shape.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden - Santa Barbara, CA

Bibliography

Bibref 1218 - Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources (2006) Anderson, M. Kat

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From the Archive

Wildflower Newsletter 1987 VOL. 4, NO.2 - Wildflowers Provide Activity in Summer, Beautiful Colorado Beckons, What is Rese...

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Arctostaphylos edmundsii in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Arctostaphylos edmundsii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Arctostaphylos edmundsii