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Arctostaphylos (/ˌɑːrktoʊˈstæfɪləs, -lɒs/; from ἄρκτος árktos "bear" and σταφυλή staphulḗ "bunch of grapes") is a genus of plants within the family EricaceaeV. Thomas Parker, Michael C. Vasey & Jon E. Keeley 2023, Arctostaphylos, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, Revision 12, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=9173, accessed on February 07, 2026.. Many plants within the genus Arctostaphylos are also commonly called Manzanita(/ˌmænzəˈniːtəz/) or bearberry. There are 107 taxa within Arctostaphylos, 106 of which are found in the California Floristic Province. From prostrate shrubs to small erect trees, Arctostaphylos are known for their characteristic red bark and urn-shaped flowers.
Burls or lignotubers are an enlarged stem base or root crown carrying dormant buds for resprouting post disturbance. About to ⅓ of all species are Burl formers. Burls can be used to help identify down to the species level.
Leaves - Tending to grow alternately, all Arctostaphylos species are evergreen. A common step to help better identify down to the species level is by examining leaf surfaces.
For example, Arctostaphylos tomentosa has stomata only abaxially, while Arctostaphylos glandulosa subsp. glandulosa is bifacial, having similar surfaces on the top and bottom sides of the leaf.
Flowers - A characteristic feature of Arctostaphylos is its urn-like flowers. The corolla is usually composed of 5 fused petals. These flowers are very common in the clade ArbutoideaeHileman, L. C., Vasey, M. C., & Thomas, P. V. (2001). Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Arbutoideae (Ericaceae): Implications for the MadreanTethyan Hypothesis. Systematic Botany, 26(1), 131–143. JSTOR. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666660.
Fruit - Classified as a drupe, Arctostaphylos fruit is commonly spheric. The seeds found within the mealy mesocarp are often called stones.
An unusual association of manzanita occurs on Hood Mountain, in Sonoma County, California, where stands of pygmy forest dominated by Hesperocyparis sargentii are found.
Arctostaphylos is the most diverse genus within this clade. The change from the Cretaceous to the Tertiary period can be attributed to the complex permutation of modern flora. During the Oligocene geologic uplift and altered climates restricted a majority of the group arbutoideae to western North America. Post Pleistocene, the growing changes in the eadaphos along with climatic shifts and the incredibly unique topography within California, caused dramatic speciation, specifically within the genus Arctostaphylos.
One way manzanitas persist is through seed banks. Seed banks are characteristic of all species within ArctostaphylosCrowe, R., & V. Thomas Parker. (2023). The morphological and ecological variation of Arctostaphylos (Ericaceae) fruit: A link between plant ecology and animal foraging behavior. Ecology and Evolution, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9801. Manzanitas have seed that is dispersed in a dormant stage, only germinating post fire due to chemicals found in smoke. Obligate seeders lack a lignotuber/burl and are killed by fire. In contrast, Facultative-seeders or Burl formers resprout after fireVERDAGUER, D., & OJEDA, F. (2005). Evolutionary Transition from Resprouter to Seeder Life History in Two Erica (Ericaceae) Species: Insights from Seedling Axillary Buds. Annals of Botany, 95(4), 593–599. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mci061.Most species are obligate seeders, and population survival depends on post-fire recruitment. It is known that rodent caches are crucial to the development of the seed bank.
Arctostaphylos species are used as food plants by the of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora arctostaphyli (which feeds exclusively on A.uva-ursi) and Coleophora glaucella.
| Arctostaphylos mendocinoensis | Pygmy manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos myrtifolia | Ione manzanita | California (Amador, Calaveras Counties) |
| Arctostaphylos nissenana | Nissenan manzanita | California (coastal and inland ranges north of San Francisco Bay) |
| Arctostaphylos nummularia | Glossyleaf manzanita | California (Mendocino County) |
| Arctostaphylos alpina | Alpine bearberry | |
| Arctostaphylos bakeri | Baker's manzanita | California (Sonoma County) |
| Arctostaphylos densiflora | Sonoma manzanita | California (Sonoma County) |
| Arctostaphylos edmundsii | Little Sur manzanita | California (Monterey County) |
| Arctostaphylos franciscana | Franciscan manzanita | California (San Francisco County) |
| Arctostaphylos gabrielensis | San Gabriel manzanita | California (Los Angeles County) |
| Arctostaphylos glauca | Bigberry manzanita | California and Baja California |
| Arctostaphylos hispidula | Gasquet manzanita | Coastal mountain ranges of southern Oregon and northern California |
| Arctostaphylos hookeri | Hooker's manzanita | California |
| Arctostaphylos insularis | Island manzanita | California (Santa Cruz Island) |
| Arctostaphylos klamathensis | Klamath manzanita | California (Klamath Mountains) |
| Arctostaphylos manzanita | Common manzanita, whiteleaf manzanita | California (Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills) |
| Arctostaphylos mewukka | Indian manzanita | California (Sierra Nevada) |
| Arctostaphylos nevadensis | Pinemat manzanita | California |
| Arctostaphylos parryana | Parry manzanita | California (southern) |
| Arctostaphylos patula | Greenleaf manzanita | Western North America |
| Arctostaphylos pumila | Sandmat manzanita | California (Monterey County) |
| Arctostaphylos pungens | Pointleaf manzanita | Southwestern United States and to northern and central Mexico |
| Arctostaphylos rudis | Shagbark manzanita | California (southern central coast) |
| Arctostaphylos stanfordiana | Stanford's manzanita | California (Outer North Coast Ranges north of the San Francisco Bay Area) |
| Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | Bearberry | Europe, Asia, North America |
| Arctostaphylos viscida | Sticky manzanita, whiteleaf manzanita | California and Oregon |
| Arctostaphylos andersonii | Santa Cruz manzanita | Santa Cruz Mountains (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos auriculata | Mount Diablo manzanita | Mount Diablo (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos canescens | Hoary manzanita | Coastal ranges of SW OR and N CA |
| Arctostaphylos catalinae | Santa Catalina Island manzanita | Santa Catalina Island (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos columbiana | Hairy manzanita | West coast from N. CA to S. British Columbia |
| Arctostaphylos confertiflora | Santa Rosa Island manzanita | Santa Rosa Island (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos cruzensis | La Cruz manzanita | Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos glandulosa | Eastwood manzanita | Coastal slops from OR, CA, Baja California |
| Arctostaphylos glutinosa | Schreiber's manzanita | Santa Cruz County (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos hooveri | Hoover's manzanita | Santa Lucia Mountains (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos imbricata | San Bruno Mountain manzanita | San Bruno Mountain (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos luciana | Santa Lucia manzanita | southern Santa Lucia Mountains (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos malloryi | Mallory's manzanita | Inner North Coast Ranges west and northwest of the Sacramento Valley (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos montaraensis | Montara manzanita | San Bruno Mountain and Montara Mountain (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos montereyensis | Monterey manzanita | Monterey County (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos morroensis | Morro manzanita | Morro Bay (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos nortensis | Del Norte manzanita | Del Norte County (CA), Curry County (OR), Josephine County (OR) |
| Arctostaphylos obispoensis | Serpentine manzanita | Southern Santa Lucia Mountains (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos osoensis | Oso manzanita | Los Osos Valley (San Luis Obispo, CA) |
| Arctostaphylos otayensis | Otay manzanita | San Diego County (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos pajaroensis | Pajaro manzanita | Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, San Benito County (CA) |
| Arctostaphylos pallida | Pallid manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos pechoensis | Pecho manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos pilosula | La Panzo manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos purissima | La Purissima manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos refugioensis | Refugio manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos regismontana | Kings Mountain manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos silvicola | Bonny Doon manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos tomentosa | Woolyleaf manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos virgata | Bolinas manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos viridissima | Whitehair manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos wellsii | Wells' manzanita |
| Arctostaphylos pringlei | Pringle manzanita |
| Arctostaphylos rainbowensis | Rainbow manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos gabilanensis | Gabilan manzanita | |
| Arctostaphylos ohloneana | Ohlone manzanita |
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