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Biography
Other usesMain|ArctostaphylosThe word manzanita is the Diminutive#Spanish|Spanish diminutive of manzana (apple). A literal translation would be little apple . The name manzanita is also sometimes used to refer to species in the related genus Arbutus , which is known by that name in the Canadian area of the tree's range, but is more usually known as madroņo, or Pacific Madrone|madrone in the United States.
Uses
Culinary use
Traditional uses of the plant include collecting the berries, drying them, and grinding them up into a coarse meal. Fresh berries and branch tips were also soaked in water to make a refreshing cider. The younger leaves are sometimes plucked and chewed by hikers to deter thirst.Citation needed|date=February 2007 Native Americans used Manzanita leaves as toothbrush es. Bear Grylls Man vs. Wild Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada episode (US: 8 December 2006 Discovery Channel , UK: 31 Mar 2007 Channel 4 )rs|date=November 2011
Landscape use
Manzanitas are extremely useful as ornamental plant s in gardens in the western United States and similar climate zones. They are evergreen, highly drought-tolerant, have picturesque bark and attractive flowers and berries, and come in many sizes and growth patterns.
Arctostaphylos columbiana , for example, is hardy enough to be used for highway landscaping in western Oregon and Washington. Arctostaphylos 'Emerald Carpet'| Arctostaphylos 'Emerald Carpet' , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi|A. uva-ursi (the Bearberry), and other low-growing manzanitas are extremely valuable evergreen groundcovers for dry slopes. Larger varieties, such as Arctostaphylos. 'Dr. Hurd,' can be grown as individual specimens, and pruned to emphasize the striking pattern and colors of the branches. They prefer light, well-drained soil, although the low-growing ground covers will tolerate heavier soils.
Decorative use
Manzanita branches are popular as decoration, due to their unique shape, color, and strength when dried.
The wood is notoriously hard to cure, mostly due to cracking against the grain, giving it few uses as timber . The slow growth rate and many branchings further decrease the sizes available. Some furniture and art employ whole round branches, which reduces cracking and preserves the deep red color.
The dead wood decays slowly and can last for many years, on and off the plant. Sunlight smooths and bleach es manzanita to light grey or white, rendering it superficially akin to animal bone s. Because of this and the stunted growth of many species, manzanita is often collected in its more unusual shapes, giving it the nickname mountain driftwood .
Manzanita wood is also used as perches for parrot s and other large pet birds. The branches of the larger species are extremely long-lasting for this purpose.Some aquarium keepers use sandblasted manzanita as driftwood in planted aquaria because of its attractive forked growth and its chemical neutrality.
If properly cleaned and cured, it holds up well over extended periods of submersion. The wood is also resistant to the leaching of tannin s into the water column, a problem often found with other aquarium driftwoods. When used as driftwood, manzanita must often be either weighted down for several weeks or soaked first to counteract the wood's natural buoyancy.
Manzanita wood, when dry, is excellent for burning in a campfire , barbecue , fireplace , or stove . It is dense and burns at a high temperature for long periods. However, caution should be exercised, because the high temperatures can damage thin-walled barbecues, and even crack cast iron stoves or cause chimney fires.
Rarity and endemics
Some manzanita species are among the rarest plants in the world. The endemism|endemic Arctostaphylos hookeri ravenii (Presidio manzanita) is the most endangered and restricted plant in the mainland United States. In 1987 only one specimen remained, at a secret location in the Presidio of San Francisco National Historic Landmark District in San Francisco , California . This plant has since been successfully cloned. http://berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/1995/0208/manzanita.html 02.08.95 - Researching The Last Manzanita Arctostaphylos franciscana (Franciscan Manzanita), a species native to San Francisco, had not been seen growing wild since 1947 until it was spotted growing in the Presidio of San Francisco in October, 2009. Caltrans transplanted this specimen on January 23, 2010, at a cost to California taxpayers of over $200,000, to make way for the Doyle Drive Replacement Project .Caltrans. (2010, January 23). Doyle Drive Transplanting Manzanita Bush 01-23-10. Retrieved March 11, 2010, from http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/photography/images/100123/
See also
California sagebrush
Adenostoma fasciculatum|Chamise
Coyote brush
Bearberry
:Category:Arctostaphylos|Category: Arctostaphylos
References
External links
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? f=/c/a/2008/05/07/HOQ710F9G7.DTL San Francisco Chronicle Story Part 1 (May 2008) "Mysterious Manzanita Baffles Homeowners", by: Ron Sullivan, Joe Eaton, Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Of great interest note in Article that this is not Presidio manzanita but an as yet unclassified species!
http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt? search_topic=TSN& search_value=23467 ITIS 23467 ITIS species list
http://wildfiction.blogspot.com/2007/11/copper-bark-tree.html Manzanita in Central Arizona Good photo of the copper colored bark.
http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-04-16/news/aninconvenient-plant/ SF Weekly cover story about the Manzanita (April 2008)
Category:Arctostaphylos| Category:Flora of North America Category:Flora of the Western United States Category:Flora of California Category:Flora of Canada|Arctostaphylos Category:Flora of British Columbia|Arctostaphylos Category:Garden plants Category:Medicinal plants
fr:Manzanita nl:Manzanita (plant)
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