Our Plants (List)

One of the reasons we have such a wide variety of manzanitas in California is their propensity to vary in size and form. Rapid diversification allows manzanita to adapt to changes in climate or terrain. One might compare the diversity of forms within a given manzanita species with that seen…

This hybrid manzanita was discovered in Mendocino County in the 1960s, and has enjoyed wide spread use as an adaptable groundcover. It grows in a dense form to about 16 inches tall and six feet wide. The bark is cinnamon red. The pure white flowers of late winter mature to…

When the land which San Francisco now occupies was rolling grasslands, the franciscan manzanita grew in serpentine outcropping throughout the region. As the city expanded, the plant continued to survive in a few locations, mainly at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in the heart of the city. Once this land was…

This plant was discovered along Doyle Drive in San Francisco. The franciscan manzanita once grew on serpentine outcroppings in what is now San Francisco. Urbanization extirpated the plant in the wild. The Doyle Drive plant appears to have sprouted spontaneously in serpentine soils disturbed by road work. The leaves are…

When the land which San Francisco now occupies was rolling grasslands, the franciscan manzanita grew in serpentine outcropping throughout the region. As the city expanded, the plant continued to survive in a few locations, mainly at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in the heart of the city. Once this land was…

When the land which San Francisco now occupies was rolling grasslands, the franciscan manzanita grew in serpentine outcropping throughout the region. As the city expanded, the plant continued to survive in a few locations, mainly at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in the heart of the city. Once this land was…

Gabilan Mountains manzanita is found only in two places in the Gabilan Range. That’s the mountain range that forms the northeastern boundary of the Salinas Valley. Although this manzanita is one of the larger of California’s manzanitas, it was not recognized botanically until 2004 because of its very limited distribution…

Eastwood manzanita is widespread in California’s coastal mountains. This upright shrub may be found from southern Oregon to northern Baja, Mexico. It varies in various characteristics throughout its range, resulting in no less than ten recognized subspecies. The species is named for the prevalence of glandular hairs on the most…

Del Mar manzanita is a subspecies of the widespread Eastwood manzanita. The species thrives in our coastal mountains from Oregon to Baja, Mexico. The species is highly variable. Some subspecies have a basal burl, while others do not. Hairs of various descriptions may be present or absent on the leaves….

Bigberry manzanita is the dominant tree-form manzanita in the coastal mountains from Mount Diablo into Baja California. It also occurs in the western foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada. It grows as a rounded to vase-shaped tree up to twenty feet. Do not expect to see this height in the…