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 foothills. It is common on chaparral slopes and low-elevation coniferous forest ecosystems.

Description

A shrub. It grows to 2.4-4.5 m high. It is stiff and woody. It can be spreading. The bark is reddish brown. There can be peeling layers of older duller bark. The leaves are thick and oval. There is a white scurf over the leaf when young. The leaves are 5 cm long. The flowers are tiny and in tight clusters. They are urn shaped and deep pink. The fruit are white but become red-brown berries. These are 12 mm across.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Edible Uses: Fruit - raw or cooked. An agreeable acid flavour but the fruit is dry and mealy. Hard to digest, the fruit should be eaten in moderation. It can be dried and ground into a powder and then used as a flavouring in soups, bread etc. A cooling drink can be made from the fruit. The berries can be crushed to make a sweet, unfermented cider. The fruit is white but becomes red-brown. These are 12 mm across [1-4].

Traditional Uses

The fruit have been used to make a drink. They are also used for jelly.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Appetizer Astringent Poultice Stomachic A poultice of the chewed leaves is applied to sores and headaches. The leaves are chewed as a treatment for stomach ache and cramps. An infusion of the leaves is used to treat severe colds and diarrhoea. A cider made from the fruit is used in the treatment of stomach complaints and as an appetizer to create appetite.

Distribution

It is a warm temperate plant. It can tolerate long dry periods. It is resistant to frost. It suits hardiness zones 8-10. Arboretum Tasmania.

Where It Grows

Australia, North America, Tasmania, USA,

Cultivation

Requires a deep moist well-drained light or medium lime-free loam in sun or semi-shade but plants produce less fruit when they are grown in the shade. Prefers a warm sunny position. Tolerates maritime exposure. Plants are not hardy in the colder parts of Britain, they tolerate temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c. Pollination is often poor in Britain. Another report says that the plant does not fruit in this country. This species is called A. pungens manzanita by some botanists. A specimen seen at Cambridge B.G. was 2.5m tall in 1989. Plants resent root disturbance and should be placed in their final positions as soon as possible. They can tolerate long dry periods.

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Pre-soak dried seed in boiling water for 10 - 20 seconds or burn some straw on top of them and then stratify at 2 - 5°c for 2 months. Another report says that the seed requires 60 days warm followed by 60 days cold stratification. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 3 months at 15°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer. Cuttings of side shoots of the current season's growth, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August to December in a frame. Takes one year. Division in early spring. Take care because the plant resents root disturbance. Pot the divisions up and keep them in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are growing away actively. Layering in spring.

Other Uses

Dye Fuel Soap A yellowish-brown dye is obtained from the leaves, it does not require a mordant. The leaves can be boiled and the yellowish-red extract used as a cleansing body wash. The wood makes an exceedingly fine fuel. Special Uses

Notes

There are about 50 Arctostaphylos species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Manzanita, Common manzanita, whiteleaf manzanita.

References (12)

• Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 39
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 96
• Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 176
• Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 102

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