Arctostaphylos pungens
Evergreen shrub forming dense clumps native to the southwestern United States and Mexico, with small bluish-green leathery leaves, urn-shaped white-pink flowers, and tiny glossy brown fruits.
Common Names
Pointleaf Manzanita, Mexican Manzanita
Summary
Pointleaf Manzanita is an evergreen shrub native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, growing in gravelly soils in sunny chaparral. It forms dense thickets and reaches about 1–3 m in height, with reddish smooth bark on older stems and densely pubescent branchlets. Leaves are glossy green, elliptic to lanceolate, 1.5–4 cm long; flowers are white to pinkish and urn-shaped in racemes, followed by red to reddish-brown drupes about 5–8 mm in diameter; branches can root on contact, contributing to thicket formation and soil stabilization on slopes.
Pointleaf Manzanita prefers sun to semi-shade and well-drained dry soils and is hardy to USDA zones 7–10; it resents root disturbance. Propagation is by seed or cuttings, with seed best sown in a greenhouse; germination aided by fire scarification or stomach acids, cold stratification of about two months, and 2–3 months to germinate at 15°C; seeds remain viable in soil for decades; layering is also possible. Edible fruits accompany leaves used for diarrhea and for poison oak rash, yellow dye from leaves, and wood for fuel; landscaping uses include accent or specimen plant, erosion control, and wildlife-friendly habitat, with attraction for hummingbirds and other pollinators under appropriate conditions.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
3-6 feet
Spread
3-6 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 7-10
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained lime-free loam or sandy/loamy soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil (deep, moist lime-free loam).
Soil pH
Acidic soil (low pH)
Bloom Color
White to Pink
Bloom Time
Winter–early Summer
Foliage Color
Green, blue-green, gray-green, pale green, pale bluish-green
Fall Foliage Color
No fall color; evergreen
Leaf Lifecycle
Evergreen broadleaf
Growth Rate
Slow
Seasons of Interest
Winter and Spring
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Division, Layering
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Kunth
- Publication
- Nov. Gen. Sp. 3: 278 (1819)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Ericales
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Subfamily
- Arbutoideae
- Genus
- Arctostaphylos
Synonyms
Arbutus nuda Arbutus rigida Arbutus tomentosa var. nuda Arctostaphylos benitoensis Arctostaphylos chaloneorum Arctostaphylos cratericola Arctostaphylos glauca Arctostaphylos pseudopungens Arctostaphylos pungens subsp. chaloneorum Arctostaphylos pungens var. cratericola Arctostaphylos pungens f. glaucifolia Arctostaphylos pungens var. mexicana Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. cratericola Daphnidostaphylis pungens Arctostaphylos tomentosa var. nuda Arctostaphylos pungens var. pungens Uva-ursi cratericola Uva-ursi pungens Arbutus madrono Arbutus myrtifolia