Arctostaphylos manzanita
Common manzanita
(c) Dean Wm. Taylor, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Ericaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Arctostaphylos manzanita (Common manzanita) is a native California shrub in the Ericaceae family, recognized by large stature and variable leaf characteristics.
Common manzanita is a native shrub found in California's interior mountain ranges in chaparral and woodland habitats at elevations ranging from low to mid-elevation zones. Flowering from January to March, this plant produces pale pink to white urn-shaped flowers in pendulous clusters that contrast beautifully against its smooth, reddish bark. Growing as an erect shrub two to eight meters tall with a distinctive burled base, it develops strong, branching stems that create an elegant structural form. Its leaves are bright green and shiny, broadly ovate to obovate, measuring two and a half to five centimeters long with smooth entire margins and rounded bases. The fruit is a depressed-spheric cluster eight to twelve millimeters wide, typical of manzanita species in the California landscape.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 40 sympatric species; large stature and variable leaf characteristics
Habitat and range
California counties: Humboldt, San Bernardino, Napa, Lake, Calaveras, Sonoma, Mendocino, Butte, Tehama, Tulare, Amador, Tuolumne, Solano, Trinity, Shasta, Siskiyou, Placer, Sutter, Santa Cruz, Plumas, Marin, Colusa, Sacramento, Alameda, Glenn, Del Norte, Yolo, Contra Costa, Fresno, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, El Dorado
How to tell it apart
vs Arbutus: Arctostaphylos fruits are smooth and mealy; Arbutus fruits are bumpy and juicy.; vs Rhus: Arctostaphylos has simple evergreen leaves; Rhus has compound deciduous leaves.; vs Quercus: Arctostaphylos has urn-shaped flowers and berry-like fruits; Quercus has catkins and acorns.; vs Xylococcus: Arctostaphylos leaves are flat; Xylococcus leaves have margins rolled tightly under.; vs Heteromeles: Arctostaphylos has urn-shaped flowers; Heteromeles has flat white flower clusters.
Frequently asked questions
Is Arctostaphylos manzanita native to California?
Yes. Arctostaphylos manzanita is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Arctostaphylos manzanita grow?
Arctostaphylos manzanita occurs in Humboldt, San Bernardino, Napa, Lake, Calaveras, Sonoma, Mendocino, Butte and other counties.
What plant family does Arctostaphylos manzanita belong to?
Arctostaphylos manzanita is in the Ericaceae family, genus Arctostaphylos.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.