Arctostaphylos
Encyclopedia
Arctostaphylos is a genus
of plants comprised by the manzanita
s (ˌ) and bearberries
. They are shrub
s or small tree
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
(one species deciduous
), with small oval leaves
1-7 cm long, arranged spirally on the stems. The flowers are bell-shaped, white or pale pink, and borne in small clusters of 2-20 together; flowering is in the spring. The fruit
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
e of some Lepidoptera
species including Coleophora arctostaphyli
(which feeds exclusively on A. uva-ursi) and Coleophora glaucella
.
According to Philip V. Wells in The Jepson Manual
and other sources, there are two subgenera
of Arctostaphylos:
Synonyms
See also the closely related genus Comarostaphylis
, previously often included in Arctostaphylos.
Manzanita
s, the bulk of Arctostaphylos spp., are present in the chaparral
biome of western North America
, where they occur from southern British Columbia
in Canada
, Washington to California
and New Mexico
in the United States
, and throughout much of northern and central Mexico
.
Three species, the bearberries
, A. alpina (Alpine Bearberry), A. rubra
(Red Bearberry) and A. uva-ursi
(Common Bearberry), have adapted to arctic
and subarctic
climates, and have a circumpolar
distribution in northern North America
, Asia
and Europe
.
An unusual association of Manzanita occurs on Hood Mountain
, in Sonoma County, California
, where stands of pygmy forest
dominated by Mendocino Cypress are found.
diseases, and often salinity and alkalinity. Overhead watering should be avoided in hot weather. Some cultivar
s are easier to grow.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of plants comprised by the manzanita
Manzanita
Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus Arctostaphylos. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from southern British Columbia, Washington to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and...
s (ˌ) and bearberries
Bearberry
Bearberries are three species of dwarf shrubs in the genus Arctostaphylos. Unlike the other species of Arctostaphylos , they are adapted to Arctic and sub-Arctic climates, and have a circumpolar distribution in northern North America, Asia and Europe, one with a small highly disjunctive population...
. They are shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s or small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
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
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
(one species deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
), with small oval leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
1-7 cm long, arranged spirally on the stems. The flowers are bell-shaped, white or pale pink, and borne in small clusters of 2-20 together; flowering is in the spring. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
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
Larva
A larva 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
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Coleophora arctostaphyli
Coleophora
Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
(which feeds exclusively on A. uva-ursi) and Coleophora glaucella
Coleophora
Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
.
According to Philip V. Wells in The Jepson Manual
The Jepson Manual
The Jepson Manual, Higher Plants of California is a collection of identification keys to help biologists identify the vascular plants within the state of California...
and other sources, there are two subgenera
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
of Arctostaphylos:
- Subgenus Micrococcus
- Sect. Micrococcus
- Arctostaphylos mendocinoensisArctostaphylos mendocinoensisArctostaphylos mendocinoensis is a species of manzanita known by the common name pygmy manzanita. It is endemic to Mendocino County, California and Sonoma County, California, where it is known from only one occurrence in the pygmy forests along the coastline. This is a small, mat-forming shrub...
Pygmy Manzanita - Arctostaphylos myrtifoliaArctostaphylos myrtifoliaArctostaphylos myrtifolia is a rare species of manzanita known by the common name Ione manzanita. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. It grows in the chaparral and woodland plant community on a distinctive acidic soil series in western Amador and Calaveras Counties...
Ione Manzanita - Arctostaphylos nissenanaArctostaphylos nissenanaArctostaphylos nissenana is a species of manzanita known by the common name Nissenan manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the woodlands and chaparral of the Sierra Nevada foothills, mostly in El Dorado County.-Description:...
Nissenan Manzanita - Arctostaphylos nummulariaArctostaphylos nummulariaArctostaphylos nummularia is a species of manzanita known by the common name glossyleaf manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the forests of the coastal and inland ranges north of the San Francisco Bay.-Description:...
Glossyleaf Manzanita
- Arctostaphylos mendocinoensis
- Sect. Micrococcus
- Subgenus Arctostaphylos, which has 3 sections:
- Sect. Arctostaphylos
- Arctostaphylos alpina Alpine Bearberry
- Arctostaphylos bakeriArctostaphylos bakeriArctostaphylos 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 the serpentine soils flora.-Description:Arctostaphylos bakeri...
Baker's Manzanita - Arctostaphylos densifloraArctostaphylos densifloraArctostaphylos densiflora, known by the common name Vine Hill manzanita, is a very rare species of manzanita. It is endemic to Sonoma County, California, where it is known from only one extant population of 20 to 30 individual plants. These last wild members of the species are on land near...
Sonoma Manzanita - Arctostaphylos edmundsiiArctostaphylos edmundsiiArctostaphylos edmundsii, with the common name Little Sur manzanita, is a species of manzanita. This shrub is endemic to California where it grows on the coastal bluffs of Monterey County.-Description:...
Little Sur Manzanita - Arctostaphylos gabrielensisArctostaphylos gabrielensisArctostaphylos gabrielensis, known by the common name San Gabriel manzanita, is a species of manzanita. It is endemic to one small area in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, California....
San Gabriel Manzanita - Arctostaphylos glaucaArctostaphylos glaucaArctostaphylos glauca is a species of manzanita known by the common name bigberry manzanita. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in the chaparral and woodland of coastal and inland hills.-Description:...
Bigberry Manzanita - Arctostaphylos hispidulaArctostaphylos hispidulaArctostaphylos hispidula is a species of manzanita known by the common names Gasquet manzanita and Howell's manzanita. It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of southern Oregon and northern California, where it is an uncommon member of the serpentine soils flora and other mountain plant...
Gasquet Manzanita - Arctostaphylos hookeriArctostaphylos hookeriArctostaphylos 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...
Hooker's Manzanita - Arctostaphylos insularisArctostaphylos insularisArctostaphylos insularis, with the common name Island manzanita, is a species of manzanita. It is endemic to Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands of California.-Description:...
Island Manzanita
- Arctostaphylos klamathensisArctostaphylos klamathensisArctostaphylos klamathensis, with the common name Klamath manzanita, is a species of manzanita. It is endemic to the Klamath Mountains of far northern California, where it was first described during an ecological survey in Cedar Basin near the border between Siskiyou and Trinity Counties in...
Klamath Manzanita - Arctostaphylos manzanitaArctostaphylos manzanitaOne 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...
Common Manzanita - Arctostaphylos mewukkaArctostaphylos mewukkaArctostaphylos mewukka is a species of manzanita known by the common name Indian manzanita.-Description:Arctostaphylos mewukka is a mostly hairless shrub growing to heights between 1 and 4 meters, with or without a burl at the base...
Indian Manzanita - Arctostaphylos nevadensisArctostaphylos nevadensisArctostaphylos 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 forests of the inland and coastal mountain ranges...
Pinemat Manzanita - Arctostaphylos parryanaArctostaphylos parryanaArctostaphylos parryana, with the common name Parry manzanita, is a species of manzanita.-Description:Arctostaphylos parryana is an erect manzanita, standing on red-barked stems and reaching up to two meters in height. The leaves are bright green, generally oval in shape and pointed. The small...
Parry Manzanita - Arctostaphylos patulaArctostaphylos patulaArctostaphylos patula is a species of manzanita known by the common name greenleaf manzanita. This manzanita is native to western North America where it grows in coniferous forests at moderate to high elevations.-Description:...
Greenleaf Manzanita - Arctostaphylos pumilaArctostaphylos pumilaArctostaphylos pumila, with the common name Sandmat manzanita, is a species of manzanita.-Description:Arctostaphylos pumila is a petite, low-lying manzanita which forms flat bushes and patchy, creeping mats in sandy soil. The bark is reddish and tends not to shred. The leaves are small and mainly...
Sandmat Manzanita - Arctostaphylos pungensArctostaphylos pungensArctostaphylos pungens, with the common name Pointleaf manzanita, is a species of manzanita. It is native to the Southwestern United States and to northern and central Mexico, where it grows in chaparral and woodland habitats, and on desert ridges...
Pointleaf Manzanita - Arctostaphylos rudisArctostaphylos rudisArctostaphylos rudis, with the common names Shagbark manzanita and Sand mesa manzanita, is a species of manzanita.-Description:...
Shagbark Manzanita - Arctostaphylos stanfordianaArctostaphylos stanfordianaArctostaphylos stanfordiana, with the common name Stanford's manzanita, is a species of manzanita that is is endemic to northern California. It is known from the outer North Coast Ranges north of the San Francisco Bay Area. .-Description:...
Stanford's Manzanita - Arctostaphylos uva-ursiArctostaphylos uva-ursiArctostaphylos uva-ursi, with names for this species including Kinnikinnick and Pinemat manzanita, one of several related species referred to as Bearberry...
Bearberry - Arctostaphylos viscidaArctostaphylos viscidaArctostaphylos viscida, with the common names Whiteleaf manzanita and Sticky manzanita, is a species of manzanita.-Distribution:...
Sticky Manzanita
- Sect. Foliobracteata
- Arctostaphylos andersoniiArctostaphylos andersoniiArctostaphylos andersonii, the Santa Cruz Manzanita, is an endangered species of Arctostaphylos, limited in geography to the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. It grows in openings in redwood forest below 700 m.-Description:...
Santa Cruz Manzanita - Arctostaphylos auriculataArctostaphylos auriculataArctostaphylos auriculata is an endangered species of Arctostaphylos endemic to California, and limited in geography to the area surrounding Mount Diablo, in Contra Costa County.-Description:...
Mount Diablo Manzanita - Arctostaphylos canescensArctostaphylos canescensArctostaphylos canescens, with the common name Hoary manzanita, is a species of manzanita.-Distribution:Arctostaphylos canescens is native to the coastal mountain ranges of southwestern Oregon and northern California, where it grows in forest and chaparral plant communities.-Description:The...
Hoary Manzanita - Arctostaphylos catalinaeArctostaphylos catalinaeArctostaphylos catalinae, the Santa Catalina Island manzanita, is a species of manzanita in the Ericaceae family. It is endemic to California, where it grows wild only in the Channel Islands, specifically, Catalina Island....
Santa Catalina Island Manzanita - Arctostaphylos columbianaArctostaphylos columbianaArctostaphylos 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 British Columbia. This large manzanita is a treelike shrub occasionally reaching heights of up to ten meters...
Hairy Manzanita - Arctostaphylos confertifloraArctostaphylos confertifloraArctostaphylos confertiflora is a rare species of manzanita known by the common name Santa Rosa Island Manzanita. This shrub is endemic to California, where it grows on the sandstone bluffs of Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands. This manzanita is listed as an endangered species by the United...
Santa Rosa Island Manzanita - Arctostaphylos cruzensisArctostaphylos cruzensisArctostaphylos cruzensis is a species of manzanita known by the common names La Cruz manzanita and Arroyo de la Cruz manzanita. This shrub is endemic to California, where it grows in the sand of the coastline in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties. This is a very petite manzanita which grows flat...
La Cruz Manzanita - Arctostaphylos glandulosaArctostaphylos glandulosaArctostaphylos glandulosa, with the common name Eastwood's manzanita, is a species of manzanita.-Distribution:This shrub is native to the coastal slopes of western North America from Oregon through California to Baja California.-Description:...
Eastwood Manzanita - Arctostaphylos glutinosaArctostaphylos glutinosaArctostaphylos glutinosa is a species of manzanita known by the common name Schreiber's manzanita. It is endemic to Santa Cruz County, California, where it is known from only a few occurrences on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains...
Schreiber's Manzanita - Arctostaphylos hooveri Hoover's Manzanita
- Arctostaphylos imbricataArctostaphylos imbricataArctostaphylos imbricata is a species of manzanita known by the common name San Bruno Mountain manzanita. It is endemic to San Mateo County, California, where it is known only from six populations on San Bruno Mountain...
San Bruno Mountain Manzanita - Arctostaphylos lucianaArctostaphylos lucianaArctostaphylos luciana is a species of manzanita known by the common name Santa Lucia manzanita. It is endemic to the Santa Lucia Mountains of San Luis Obispo County, California, where it grows in the chaparral of the coastal mountain slopes. This is a large shrub reaching over 2 meters tall and...
Santa Lucia Manzanita - Arctostaphylos malloryiArctostaphylos malloryiArctostaphylos malloryi is a species of manzanita known by the common name Mallory's manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it is found in the Inner North Coast Ranges west and northwest of the Sacramento Valley. It is a resident of the chaparral plant community, often on volcanic soils....
Mallory's Manzanita - Arctostaphylos montaraensisArctostaphylos montaraensisArctostaphylos montaraensis is a species of manzanita known by the common name Montara manzanita. It is endemic to northern San Mateo County, California, where it is known from a few occurrences on San Bruno Mountain and Montara Mountain....
Montara Manzanita - Arctostaphylos montereyensisArctostaphylos montereyensisArctostaphylos montereyensis is a species of manzanita known by the common names Monterey manzanita and Toro manzanita. It is endemic to Monterey County, California, where it is known from only a few occurrences around Fort Ord and Toro County Park near Salinas. It is a plant of maritime chaparral...
Monterey Manzanita - Arctostaphylos morroensisArctostaphylos morroensisArctostaphylos 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:...
Morro Manzanita - Arctostaphylos nortensis Del Norte Manzanita
- Arctostaphylos obispoensisArctostaphylos obispoensisArctostaphylos obispoensis is a species of manzanita known by the common names serpentine manzanita and bishop manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the southern Santa Lucia Mountains of Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties. It grows in the woodlands and forests of...
Serpentine Manzanita - Arctostaphylos osoensisArctostaphylos osoensisArctostaphylos osoensis is a species of manzanita known by the common name Oso manzanita. It is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it is known from only two occurrences on the northern edge of the Los Osos Valley.-Description:...
Oso Manzanita - Arctostaphylos otayensisArctostaphylos otayensisArctostaphylos otayensis is a species of manzanita known by the common name Otay manzanita. This shrub is endemic to California, where it is native to the mountains of San Diego County. It is an erect shrub, reaching up to 2.5 meters in height. It has shreddy red bark that grows gray with age. It...
Otay Manzanita - Arctostaphylos pajaroensisArctostaphylos pajaroensisArctostaphylos pajaroensis is a species of manzanita known by the common name Pajaro manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it is known mainly from Monterey County. Historical occurrences have been noted in Santa Cruz and far western San Benito Counties; these may no longer exist. Most of...
Pajaro Manzanita - Arctostaphylos pallidaArctostaphylos pallidaArctostaphylos 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 California.-Description:Arctostaphylos pallida grows to...
Pallid Manzanita - Arctostaphylos pechoensisArctostaphylos pechoensisArctostaphylos pechoensis is a species of manzanita known by the common name Pecho manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Pecho Hills southwest of San Luis Obispo. It is a plant of the chaparral and coastal coniferous forest. This is a large shrub, generally growing...
Pecho Manzanita - Arctostaphylos pilosulaArctostaphylos pilosulaArctostaphylos pilosula is a species of manzanita known by the common names La Panza manzanita and Santa Margarita manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the coastal mountains of San Luis Obispo County, especially near Santa Margarita, and one occurrence in southern...
La Panzo Manzanita - Arctostaphylos purissimaArctostaphylos purissimaArctostaphylos purissima is a species of manzanita known by the common name La Purisima manzanita. It is endemic to western Santa Barbara County, California, including near Lompoc, site of Mission La Purísima Concepción...
La Purissima Manzanita - Arctostaphylos refugioensisArctostaphylos refugioensisArctostaphylos refugioensis is a species of manzanita known by the common name Refugio manzanita. It is endemic to Santa Barbara County, California, where it can be found along the immediate coastline, including the vicinity of Refugio State Beach, and into the Santa Ynez Mountains. It is a plant...
Refugio Manzanita - Arctostaphylos regismontanaArctostaphylos regismontanaArctostaphylos regismontana is a species of manzanita known by the common name Kings Mountain manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the northern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains in the southern San Francisco Bay Area....
Kings Mountain Manzanita - Arctostaphylos silvicolaArctostaphylos silvicolaArctostaphylos silvicola is a species of manzanita known by the common name Bonny Doon manzanita. It is endemic to Santa Cruz County, California, where it is known from only about 20 occurrences in the southern Santa Cruz Mountains.-Description:...
Bonny Doon Manzanita - Arctostaphylos tomentosaArctostaphylos tomentosaArctostaphylos tomentosa is a species of manzanita known by the common name woollyleaf manzanita. This shrub is endemic to California where it is a resident of chaparral canyons, foothills, and lower-elevation mountains. One specialized habitat in which A...
Woolyleaf Manzanita - Arctostaphylos virgataArctostaphylos virgataArctostaphylos virgata is a species of manzanita known by the common names Bolinas manzanita and Marin manzanita.-Distribution:...
Bolinas Manzanita - Arctostaphylos viridissimaArctostaphylos viridissimaArctostaphylos viridissima is a species of manzanita known by the common names whitehair manzanita and McMinn's manzanita. It is endemic to Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands of California....
Whitehair Manzanita - Arctostaphylos wellsii Wells' Manzanita
- Arctostaphylos andersonii
- Sect. Pictobracteata
- Arctostaphylos pringlei Pringle Manzanita
- Sect. Arctostaphylos
- Unassigned
- Arctostaphylos rainbowensisArctostaphylos rainbowensisArctostaphylos rainbowensis is a species of manzanita known by the common name Rainbow manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from northern San Diego and southern Riverside Counties. A specimen was first collected in 1973 and considered to be part of a disjunct population of...
Rainbow Manzanita - Arctostaphylos gabilanensisArctostaphylos gabilanensisArctostaphylos gabilanensis is a rare species of manzanita known by the common name Gabilan manzanita. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from two disjunct populations in the Gabilan Range on the border between Monterey and San Benito Counties. It was described to science in 2004...
Gabilan Manzanita - Arctostaphylos ohloneanaArctostaphylos ohloneanaArctostaphylos ohloneana is a rare species of manzanita known by the common name Ohlone manzanita in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California...
Ohlone Manzanita
- Arctostaphylos rainbowensis
Synonyms
- Arctostaphylos bicolor is generally considered Xylococcus bicolorXylococcus bicolorXylococcus is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the heath family which contains the single species Xylococcus bicolor, the Mission Manzanita. This is a shrub that grows to three meters in height, two meters in diameter...
- Arctostaphylos crustacea is generally considered Arctostaphylos tomentosaArctostaphylos tomentosaArctostaphylos tomentosa is a species of manzanita known by the common name woollyleaf manzanita. This shrub is endemic to California where it is a resident of chaparral canyons, foothills, and lower-elevation mountains. One specialized habitat in which A...
ssp. crustacea
See also the closely related genus Comarostaphylis
Comarostaphylis
Comarostaphylis is a genus of shrubs in the heath family native to the Americas from California in the United States to Panama. These are hairy, glandular shrubs to small trees with shreddy bark, often quite similar to their close relatives, the manzanitas....
, previously often included in Arctostaphylos.
Distribution
Manzanita
Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus Arctostaphylos. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from southern British Columbia, Washington to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and...
s, the bulk of Arctostaphylos spp., are present in the chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
biome of western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, where they occur from southern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Washington to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and throughout much of northern and central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Three species, the bearberries
Bearberry
Bearberries are three species of dwarf shrubs in the genus Arctostaphylos. Unlike the other species of Arctostaphylos , they are adapted to Arctic and sub-Arctic climates, and have a circumpolar distribution in northern North America, Asia and Europe, one with a small highly disjunctive population...
, A. alpina (Alpine Bearberry), A. rubra
Arctostaphylos rubra
Arctostaphylos rubra is a species of flowering plant in the heath family and the genus Arctostaphylos, the manzanitas and bearberries. Common names include red fruit bearberry, alpine bearberry, arctic bearberry, red manzanita, and ravenberry. It is native to Eurasia and northern North America from...
(Red Bearberry) and A. uva-ursi
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, with names for this species including Kinnikinnick and Pinemat manzanita, one of several related species referred to as Bearberry...
(Common Bearberry), have adapted to arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
and subarctic
Subarctic
The Subarctic is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic and covering much of Alaska, Canada, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and northern Mongolia...
climates, and have a circumpolar
Circumpolar
The term circumpolar may refer to:* circumpolar navigation: to travel the world "vertically" traversing both of the poles* Antarctic region** Antarctic Circle** the Antarctic Circumpolar Current** Subantarctic** List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands...
distribution in northern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
An unusual association of Manzanita occurs on Hood Mountain
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 originally name was Mount Wilikos, an Indian name meaning "willows."...
, in Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
, where stands of pygmy forest
Pygmy forest
A pygmy forest is a forest which, for pedological and geological reasons, contains only miniature trees. Pygmy forests may occur over various world locations with notable occurrences being noted in the literature of the: California coastal terraces and inner coastal mountains of Northern...
dominated by Mendocino Cypress are found.
Cultivation
Cultivation is generally difficult due to fungalFungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
diseases, and often salinity and alkalinity. Overhead watering should be avoided in hot weather. Some cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s are easier to grow.