Arctostaphylos nummularia
Glossy leaved manzanita
(c) Stan Shebs, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Ericaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Arctostaphylos nummularia (Glossy leaved manzanita) is a native California shrub in the Ericaceae family, recognized by no sympatric species.
Glossy leaved manzanita is a California native shrub found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in rocky, montane habitats at elevations between 1,000 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from January to March, this plant produces white to pink urn-shaped flowers in pendulous panicle clusters with 4 to 12 branches. Growing with distinctive gray to red-gray bark and spreading stems densely covered in short and long glandular hairs, it forms a compact shrub 30 to 100 centimeters tall. Its leaves are particularly distinctive, with shiny dark green upper surfaces and light green undersides, spreading horizontally with entire margins and gently cupped texture. The fruit is a small, nearly cylindric structure approximately 3 to 4 millimeters wide that splits open when mature.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; no sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: Marin, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo
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 nummularia native to California?
Yes. Arctostaphylos nummularia is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Arctostaphylos nummularia grow?
Arctostaphylos nummularia occurs in Marin, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo.
What plant family does Arctostaphylos nummularia belong to?
Arctostaphylos nummularia 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.