Featured Plant Spring 2007 Arctostaphylos Glauca

Featured Plant Spring 2007 Arctostaphylos glauca

Common Name: Big-Berry Manzanita

Plant Family: Ericaceae

General Distribution: Commonly found in chaparral vegetation in the foothills and occasionally in Pinyon/ Juniper woodlands in desert habitats. Arctostaphylos glauca has been found as far north as the San Francisco Bay area and down to central and southern California, extending into Baja California.

County Distribution: In San Diego County, Big-Berry Manzanita is common in chaparral areas mainly in the foothills at elevations less than 4500 feet. It can also be found in the high desert in Pinyon/Juniper woodlands.

Plant Description: Shrub, sometimes growing to be tree- like, from 2-8 meters tall, no burl present. The bark is red- brown. The leaves are relatively distinctive in that they are wide, rounded, oblong to ovate in shape and have a whitish coloration, due to a waxy covering. The base of the leaf is truncate or slightly lobed. The inflorescence Arctostaphylos glauca, note Leaves and fruits of A. has scale-like bracts. The fruits are spherical in shape, the lack of any burl. glauca may be sticky, and are among the largest manzanita fruits in our area.

Comments: Big-Berry Manzanita is one of the largest manzanitas in the county. There are 10 taxa of Arctostaphylos in San Diego county. This species of Arctostaphylos is one of several that does not have a burl and is therefore an obligate seeder after a fire. A burl is a rounded outgrowth at the base of the trunk, at ground level or just below, that is nearly impervious to fire and resprouts after a burn. When making collections of any manzanita, it is very important to note if a burl was present or not, as this characteristic is diagnostic when Arctostaphylos glauca trying to verify the identity of the species. Among the species of Arctostaphylos in the county, Big- Berry Manzanita can be confused with Eastwood Manzanita (Acrtostaphylos glandulosa ssp. adamsii) which also has whitish leaves, but one important distinction is that the Eastwood Manzanita has a burl. Another common species that may be confused with A. glauca is the Mexican Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pungens). Like A. glauca, Arctostapyhlos pungens lacks a burl, but the leaves are narrower, green, and pointed at the tip, not rounded.