Plant Guide

Arctostaphylos nevadensis Gray
pinemat manzanita
ARNE

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Subshrub, Shrub
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	High
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	White
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Dense
Foliage Porosity Winter	Dense
Foliage Texture	Coarse
Fruit/Seed Color	Red
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Stoloniferous
Growth Rate	Slow
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)	2
Height, Mature (feet)	2
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	Yes
Lifespan	Long
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	Yes
Shape and Orientation	Decumbent
Toxicity	None

Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	None
CaCO3 Tolerance	Medium
Cold Stratification Required	Yes
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	Low
Fire Tolerance	Low
Frost Free Days, Minimum	180
Hedge Tolerance	None
Moisture Use	Low
pH, Minimum	6
pH, Maximum	8.4
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	1200
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	2700
Precipitation, Minimum	16
Precipitation, Maximum	80
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	30
Salinity Tolerance	None
Shade Tolerance	Tolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-13

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Early Summer
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Medium
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	Yes
Propagated by Bare Root	Yes
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	Yes
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	Yes
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	37000
Seed Spread Rate	Slow
Seedling Vigor	Low
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	Moderate

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	Yes
Palatable Browse Animal	Low
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Low
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

Kingdom Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons

Subclass Dilleniidae

Order Ericales

Family Ericaceae -- Heath family

Genus Arctostaphylos Adans. -- manzanita P

Species Arctostaphylos nevadensis Gray -- pinemat manzanita P

Uses

Conservation: Pinemat reduces erosion on steep slopes and along trails and roads.

Wildlife: Bear, deer, and other small mammals and a wide array of birds, including grouse, utilize the fruits of hairy manzanita. California mule deer may browse the foliage.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

Description

General: Heath Family (Ericaceae). Pinemat manzanita, is a low growing, native, evergreen shrub, generally less than 1 m tall, and with spreading or decumbent branches. It does not have a basal burl and does not crown sprout, but often roots at the nodes of the lowermost branches. The bark of young twigs is sparsely white-woolly, but the mature bark is smooth and reddish brown. Leaves are short-petioled, with ovate to elliptic blades that are 1.5 to 3 cm long, 1 to 1.5 cm wide, bright green, with acute apices, and minutely hairy or glabrous on both sides. The flowers, which open from May to July, are arranged in racemes with mostly scale-like, linear bracts that are 2-5 mm long. The urn-shaped, white corollas are 6-8 mm long. The fruits are depressed-globose, 6-9 mm in diameter, smooth and reddish brown, with a mealy pulp that encloses several, hard-walled seeds.

Distribution

Native to Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada. For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Also, check the CalFlora Web site.

Establishment

Adaptation: Pinemat manzanita occurs on rocky slopes and outcrops from 5000 to 10,000 feet throughout the Cascades south to the Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada of California. It is a common understory shrub of several coniferous forest communities, dominated either by fir, hemlock, yellow pine, or lodgepole pine. Common associates include currant, chinquapin, huckleberry oak, and ocean spray. Its geographic range is generally characterized by warm, relatively dry summers and cold winters with precipitation ranging from 25 to 85 inches per year, much of it as snow. Pinemat manzanita prefers well drained, acidic soils in open sunny sites. It has a high tolerance for cold, below-freezing winters, and depends on snow cover to protect dormant buds. Occasional fires may be important to successful seed germination and establishment.

Natural Establishment: Arctostaphylos nevadensis, like most manzanita species, requires insect visitation to ensure seed-set. Bees that grasp the flower and shake them by actively beating their wings pollinate the flowers. This process, like shaking a salt and pepper container, permits efficient collection of the pollen, which is used for food. Fruits are dispersed primarily by animals, which presumably aid germination by digesting the fruit and softening the outer seed coat. However, natural germination is sporadic, except after fire, which cracks the hard coat of seeds that have accumulated in the litter layer. Pinemat manzanita prefers loose, well-drained soils and, like other members of the heath family (Ericaceae), has an obligate relationship with mycorrhizal fungi.

Seed Propagation: Propagation from seed is difficult, because of the thick, bony seed walls and low rates of germination (less than 10%) without treatment. However, if propagation from seed is desired, treatment must ensure that the seed coat is broken without damaging the embryo. Individual seeds may be filed with a steel file, but larger quantities can be treated by placing them into a container of boiling water that is removed from the source of heat after 1-2 minutes. Seeds also respond well to burning, which is accomplished by firing a 4-inch deep layer of combustible leaves and twigs over a flat planted with seeds. These treatments crack the seed coats, but may reduce viability. Treated seeds should be stratified in a moist mix of milled sphagnum and beach sand for 2-8 months until they germinate. Other techniques, including use of sulfuric acid to soften the seed coat, may enhance germination, but also requires special precautions against spillage and contamination.

Vegetative Propagation: Vegetative propagation is preferred over seed propagation. Pinemat manzanita is most easily propagated by cutting terminal shoots that include 1-2 inches of the woody stem from the previous year. Cuttings work best if taken between April and June and should be dipped in a rooting hormone before being placed in a moist sand-peat mixture. Cuttings need to be kept moist by regular watering or misting until roots appear. Once rooted, they should be transplanted into small containers using potting soil, to allow for proper root development. Manzanitas generally do not transplant well, so they should be grown to vigorous conditions in one-gallon containers and then moved to a permanent position in the late fall or early winter. Relatively slow growth rates during the first few years can be expected. If plants are used in an urban landscape, the use of organic-rich soils and acidified fertilizers is recommended.

Management

Under natural conditions, no special management is required to maintain established manzanitas. Either scarified seeds or well-rooted container plants may be used to re-vegetate cleared sites. In the urban landscape, several horticultural techniques should be used to ensure healthy plants. All manzanitas should be planted higher than the surrounding soil to prevent crown rot, which can result from excessive water and soil moisture, especially during the summer. Overhead watering should also be avoided, because it tends to encourage fungal diseases (e.g., Botryosphaeria) that cause branch die-back and leaf spot. Periodic watering every 4-6 weeks will keep foliage healthy without weakening plants. Mulching is desirable to control weeds, retain soil moisture, and reduce the need for irrigation. Rock mulches have proven more successful than organic mulches. Pruning should be avoided and used only to remove dead wood and diseased branches.

Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

This species is available from native plant nurseries within its area of distribution. Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government”. The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

References

Axelrod, D. 1958. The Pliocene Verdi flora of western Nevada. University of California Publications, Geological Science 34: 61-160.

Barbour, M. N. Berg, T. Kittel, & M. Kunz 1991. Snowpack and the distribution of a major vegetation ecotone in the Sierra Nevada of California. Journal of Biogeography 18:141-149.

Berg, A. 1974. Arctostaphylos Adans. manzanita. pp. 228-231. IN C. Schopmeyer (ed.). Seeds of woody plants in the United States. USDA, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook, Number 450, Washington, D.C. 883 pp.

Carlson, J. & W. Sharp 1975. Germination of high elevation manazanitas. USDA, Forest Service, Tree Planters’ Notes 26:10-11, 25-26.

Ferlatte, W. 1974. A flora of the Trinity Alps of northern California. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 206 pp.

Hanes, T. 1988. California chaparral. pp. 417-469. IN M. Barbour & J. Major. Terrestrial vegetation of California. California Native Plant Society, Special Publication No. 9. Sacramento, California. 1030 pp.

Holland, K.L. & D.J. Keil 1995. California vegetation. Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company, Iowa. 516 pp.

Kruckeberg, A.R. 1982. Gardening with native plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington. 252 pp.

Mallory, J., W. Colwell, & W. Powell 1973. Soils and vegetation of the French Gulch quadrangle, Trinity and Shasta counties, California. Bulletin 12, USDA, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Berkeley, California. 42 pp.

Munz, P. 1959. A California flora. University of California, Berkeley, California. 1681 pp.

Rundel, P. 1975. Primary succession on granite outcrops in the montane southern Sierra Nevada. Madrono 23:209-220.

Rundel, P., D. Parsons, & D. Gordon 1988. Montane and subalpine vegetation of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges. pp. 559-599. IN M. Barbour & J. Major. Terrestrial vegetation of California. California Native Plant Society, Special Publication No. 9. Sacramento, California. 1030 pp.

Smith, N. 1995. Manzanitas: a gardener’s guide. Pacific Horticulture 56(1):18-33.

Sawyer, J. & D. Thornburgh 1988. Montane and subalpine vegetation of the Klamath Mountains. pp. 699-732. IN M. Barbour & J. Major. Terrestrial vegetation of California. California Native Plant Society, Special Publication No. 9. Sacramento, California. 1030 pp.

Vankat, J. 1970. Vegetation change in Sequoia National Park, California. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Davis, California. 197 pp.

Prepared By

Dieter Wilken & Julie Burgher

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara, California

Species Coordinator

Dieter Wilken

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, California 93105

Email: dwilken@sbbg.org

Edited 04dec00 jsp;03feb03ahv; 31may06jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

Attribution: U.S. Department of Agriculture