Arctostaphylos Explained

See also: Manzanita.

Arctostaphylos (;[1] from "bear" and "bunch of grapes") is a genus of plants comprising the manzanitas and bearberries. There are about 60 species of Arctostaphylos, ranging from ground-hugging arctic, coastal, and mountain shrub 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 larvae of some Lepidoptera 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 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.

One species, however, A. uva-ursi (common bearberry), is adapted to arctic and subarctic climates and has 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.

Fossil record

One fossil fruit of †Arctostaphylos globula and several fossil fruits of †Arctostaphylos menzelii have been described from middle Miocene strata of the Fasterholt area near Silkeborg in Central Jutland, Denmark.[2]

Cultivation

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

Taxonomy

The following species are recognised in the genus Arctostaphylos:[3]

See also the closely related genus Comarostaphylis, previously often included in Arctostaphylos.

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  2. Angiosperm fruits and seeds from the Middle Miocene of Jutland (Denmark) . Else Marie . Friis . Det Kongelige Danske Videnskaberne Selskab, Biologiske Skrifter . 24 . 3 . 1–165 . 1985 .
  3. Web site: Arctostaphylos Adans. Plants of the World Online Kew Science . 2022-04-29 . Plants of the World Online . en.