''Arctostaphylos'' (; from "bear" and "bunch of grapes") is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

plants Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclude ...

comprising the manzanitas () and bearberries. They are

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from tree ...

s or small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s. There are about 60 species, of ''Arctostaphylos'', ranging from ground-hugging arctic, coastal, and mountain species to small trees up to 6 m tall. Most are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

(one species

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

), with small oval

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

1–7 cm long, arranged spirally on the stems. The

flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

are bell-shaped, white or pale pink, and borne in small clusters of 2–20 together; flowering is in the spring. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

are small berries, ripening in the summer or autumn. The berries of some species are edible. ''Arctostaphylos'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

species including '' Coleophora arctostaphyli'' (which feeds exclusively on ''A. uva-ursi'') and '' Coleophora glaucella''.

Distribution

Manzanitas, the bulk of ''Arctostaphylos'' species, are present in the

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranea ...

biome of western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

, where they occur from southern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, and throughout much of northern and central

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. Three species, the bearberries, '' A. alpina'' (alpine bearberry), '' A. rubra'' (red bearberry) and '' A. uva-ursi'' (common bearberry), have adapted to

arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

and

subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Genera ...

climates, and have a circumpolar distribution in northern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. An unusual association of manzanita occurs on

Hood Mountain Mount Hood, also known as Hood Mountain is a mountain near the southeastern edge of Santa Rosa, California at the northeast of the Sonoma Valley and attains a height of . The original name was Mount Wilikos, an Indian name meaning "willows." ...

, in

Sonoma County, California Sonoma County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa. It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendoci ...

, where stands of

pygmy forest In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a ...

dominated by Mendocino cypress are found.

Fossil record

One

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

of †''Arctostaphylos globula'' and several fossil fruits of †''Arctostaphylos menzelii'' have been described from

middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma to 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma (million ...

strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as e ...

of the Fasterholt area near

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Cultivation

Cultivation is generally difficult due to fungal diseases, and often salinity and alkalinity. Overhead watering should be avoided in hot weather. Some

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s are easier to grow.

Taxonomy

The following species are recognised in the genus ''Arctostaphylos'': *'' Arctostaphylos acutifolia'' *'' Arctostaphylos andersonii'' *'' Arctostaphylos auriculata'' *'' Arctostaphylos australis'' *''

Arctostaphylos bakeri ''Arctostaphylos bakeri'' is a species of manzanita known by the common name Baker's manzanita. It is endemic to Sonoma County, California, where it grows in the chaparral and woodlands of the North Coast Ranges. It is sometimes a member of th ...

'' *'' Arctostaphylos bolensis'' *'' Arctostaphylos canescens'' *'' Arctostaphylos catalinae'' *'' Arctostaphylos caucasica'' *''

Arctostaphylos columbiana ''Arctostaphylos columbiana'' is a species of manzanita known by the common name hairy manzanita. It is native to the coast of western North America from northern California to southwestern British Columbia. This large manzanita is a shrub or sm ...

'' *'' Arctostaphylos confertiflora'' *'' Arctostaphylos cratericola'' *'' Arctostaphylos crustacea'' *'' Arctostaphylos cruzensis'' *'' Arctostaphylos densiflora'' *'' Arctostaphylos edmundsii'' *''

Arctostaphylos franciscana ''Arctostaphylos franciscana'', known by the common name Franciscan manzanita, is a species of manzanita. It was named by Alice Eastwood and is native to the city of San Francisco. Taxonomy Franciscan manzanita was formerly considered as a sub ...

'' *'' Arctostaphylos gabilanensis'' *'' Arctostaphylos glandulosa'' *'' Arctostaphylos glauca'' *'' Arctostaphylos glutinosa'' *'' Arctostaphylos × helleri'' *'' Arctostaphylos hispidula'' *''

Arctostaphylos hookeri ''Arctostaphylos hookeri'' is a species of manzanita known by the common name Hooker's manzanita. Description ''Arctostaphylos hookeri'' is a low shrub which is variable in appearance and has several subspecies. These are generally mat-forming ...

'' *'' Arctostaphylos hooveri'' *'' Arctostaphylos imbricata'' *'' Arctostaphylos incognita'' *''

Arctostaphylos insularis ''Arctostaphylos insularis'' is a species of manzanita known by the common name island manzanita. It is endemic to Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands of California. Description ''Arctostaphylos insularis'' is a large, spreading shrub ...

'' *'' Arctostaphylos × jepsonii'' *'' Arctostaphylos klamathensis'' *'' Arctostaphylos × laxiflora'' *'' Arctostaphylos luciana'' *'' Arctostaphylos malloryi'' *''

Arctostaphylos manzanita One of many species of manzanita, ''Arctostaphylos manzanita'' has the common names common manzanita and whiteleaf manzanita. ''Arctostaphylos manzanita'' is endemic to California, where it can be found in the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada f ...

'' *'' Arctostaphylos × media'' *'' Arctostaphylos mewukka'' *'' Arctostaphylos montana'' *''

Arctostaphylos montaraensis ''Arctostaphylos montaraensis'', known by the common name Montara manzanita, is a species of manzanita in the family Ericaceae. Distribution This perennial evergreen shrub is endemic to California, native only to a few occurrences in northern ...

'' *'' Arctostaphylos montereyensis'' *'' Arctostaphylos moranii'' *''

Arctostaphylos morroensis ''Arctostaphylos morroensis'' is a species of manzanita known by the common name Morro manzanita. This shrub is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it is known only from the vicinity of Morro Bay. Distribution There are 18 o ...

'' *'' Arctostaphylos myrtifolia'' *''

Arctostaphylos nevadensis ''Arctostaphylos nevadensis'', with the common name pinemat manzanita, is a species of manzanita. Distribution ''Arctostaphylos nevadensis'' is native to western North America from Washington to California, where it grows in the coniferous fo ...

'' *'' Arctostaphylos nissenana'' *'' Arctostaphylos nortensis'' *'' Arctostaphylos nummularia'' *'' Arctostaphylos obispoensis'' *'' Arctostaphylos ohloneana'' *'' Arctostaphylos osoensis'' *'' Arctostaphylos otayensis'' *'' Arctostaphylos pacifica'' *'' Arctostaphylos pajaroensis'' *''

Arctostaphylos pallida ''Arctostaphylos pallida'', commonly known as pallid manzanita, Oakland Hills manzanita, and Alameda manzanita, is an upright manzanita shrub from the Ericaceae, or heath family. It is endemic to the eastern San Francisco Bay Area of Northern C ...

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ''Arctostaphylos uva-ursi'' is a plant species of the genus ''Arctostaphylos'' widely distributed across circumboreal regions of the subarctic Northern Hemisphere. Kinnikinnick ( First Nations for "smoking mixture") is a common name in Canada ...

'' *'' Arctostaphylos virgata'' *'' Arctostaphylos viridissima'' *'' Arctostaphylos viscida'' *'' Arctostaphylos wellsii'' See also the closely related genus '' Comarostaphylis'', previously often included in ''Arctostaphylos''.

Distribution

Fossil record

Cultivation

Taxonomy

References

Further reading