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| **HAIRY MANZANITA**                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| ***Arctostaphylos columbiana* Piper**                                 |
|                                                                       |
| plant symbol = ARCO3                                                  |
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## Contributed By: Santa Barbara Botanic Garden & USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

### Uses

Bear, deer, coyote, foxes and other small mammals and a wide array of
birds utilize the fruits of hairy manzanita. A tea made from the bark
was used by some Native Americans to treat diarrhea. The crooked wood of
central stems and lower branches are used in several cottage industries,
including lamp stands and other decorative woodcrafts. Although somewhat
difficult to grow, several selections of hairy manzanita and hybrids
with kinnikinnik are occasionally cultivated.

### 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). Hairy manzanita is an erect
much-branched evergreen shrub or small tree 1-3 m high, with a broad,
rounded, dense canopy. It does not have a basal burl and consequently
does not crown sprout after fire. The bark of young twigs is densely
white-hirsute, but the mature bark is smooth and dark red-brown. Leaves
have short petioles and oblong to broadly elliptic blades that are 2.5-6
cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, pale gray-green, and tomentose on both sides.
The flowers, which open from March to May, are arranged in short, dense
panicles with leaf-like bracts that are lanceolate, 5-15 mm long, and
hirsute. The urn-shaped corollas are white, sometimes tinged with pink,
and 6-7 mm long. The fruit is strongly depressed-globose, 7-11 mm in
diameter, hairy when young, but becoming smooth and reddish brown, with
a mealy pulp that encloses several, hard-walled
seeds.![](media/image1.jpeg){width="2.6972222222222224in"
height="3.7805555555555554in"}

Hybrids between hairy manzanita and the prostrate kinnikinnick
(*Arctostaphylos* *uva-ursi*) are called *Arctostaphylos* x *media*.
This hybrid and various backcrosses, especially to kinnikinnick, have a
spreading form, dense foliage, and pink flowers.

### Distribution

Hairy manzanita inhabits well-drained, rocky slopes below 2500 feet from
southern British Columbia south to northwestern California. For current
distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on
the PLANTS Web site.

### Establishment

*Adaptation*: It is a common associate in successional coastal shrub
communities, but also occurs as an understory shrub in coniferous
forests ranging from the coast to the western slopes of the Cascade
Range. Its general geographic range is characterized by cool, relatively
dry summers and wet winters with precipitation ranging from 50 to 120
inches per year. Hairy manzanita prefers well-drained, acidic soils in
open sunny sites. It has a mild frost tolerance, but a low tolerance for
frozen soils. Fire may be important to successful seed germination and
establishment, especially in coastal shrub communities and relatively
open forest communities.

*Natural Establishment*: *Arctostaphylos columbiana*, like most
manzanita species, requires insect visitation to ensure seed-set. Bees
that grasp the flower and shake it 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. Hairy
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
seeds. Cutting terminal shoots that include 1-2 inches of the woody stem
from the previous year most easily propagates hairy manzanita. Cuttings
work best if taken between January and March 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.

Manzanitas are also susceptible to gall-producing aphids (*Tamalia*),
which cause young leaves to curl and cease growth. 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)

Please check the Vendor Database, expected to be on-line through the
PLANTS Web site in 2001 by clicking on Plant Materials. This species is
available from native species nursery.

### References

CalPhotos 2000. *Arctostaphylos columbiana*. Version: 000509. CalFlora,
Inc., Berkeley, California. \< http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/photos/\>.

Emery, D. 1988. *Seed propagation of native California plants*. Santa
Barbara Botanic Garden Publishing, Santa Barbara, California. 115 p.

Franklin, J. & C. Dyrness 1988. *Natural vegetation of Oregon and
Washington*. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, Oregon. 452 p.

Holland, K. & D. Keil 1995. *California vegetation*. Kendall/Hunt
Publishing Company, Iowa. 516 p.

Keaton, G. 1994. *Complete garden guide to the natural shrubs of
California*. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California. 314 p.

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

Lenz, L. & J. Dourley 1981. *California native trees and shrubs*. Rancho
Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California. 231 p.

Munz, P.A. & D. Keck 1959. *A California flora*. University of
California, Berkeley, California. 1681 p.

Roach, A. 1952. *Phytosociology of the Nash Crater lava flows, Linn
County, Oregon*. Ecological Monographs 22:169-193.

Smith, N. 1995. *Manzanitas: A gardener's guide*. Pacific Horticulture
56(1):18-33.

USDA, NRCS 2000. *The PLANTS database*. Version: 000509.
\<http://plants.usda.gov\>. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.

Wiedemann, A. 1966. *Contributions to the plant ecology of the Oregon
coastal sand dunes*. Ph.D. dissertation, Oregon State University,
Corvallis, Oregon. 255 p.

Wiedemann, A. L. Dennis, & F. Smith 1969. *Plants of the Oregon coastal
dunes*. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. 117 p.

### Prepared By

## Dieter Wilken and Julie Burgher

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara, California

### Species Coordinator

## Dieter Wilken

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara, California

Email: dwilken@sbbg.org

Edited 30nov00 jsp; 25feb03 ahv

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> and Plant
Materials Program Web sites
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>.

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