Alternate name: Big Manzanita

Family: Ericaceae, Heath view all from this family

Description Large evergreen shrub, sometimes a small tree commonly branching near base, with stout, crooked, twisted trunks and branches and dense, rounded crown as broad as high.
Height: 20' (6 m) or more.
Diameter: 6" (15 cm).
Leaves: evergreen; 1-1 3/4" (2.5-4.5 cm) long, 3/4-1 1/4" (2-3 cm) wide. Elliptical or nearly round; without teeth; thick; short-stalked; shiny or dull green on both surfaces, sometimes finely hairy.
Bark: dark reddish-brown, smooth.
Twigs: crooked, densely covered with gray hairs.
Flowers: 5/16" (8 mm) long; jug-shaped white or pale pink corolla ending in 5 tiny lobes; numerous, in many-branched clusters, drooping at end of twig; in late winter and early spring.
Fruit: 5/16-1/2" (8-12 mm) in diameter; berrylike, round or slightly flattish, white, turning deep reddish-brown; with mealy pulp and several nutlets; maturing in late summer.

Habitat Dry slopes and in mountain canyons, chaparral, foothill and oak woodlands, and in Ponderosa Pine forest.

Range N. and central California in north Coast Ranges and foothills of Sierra Nevada; at 300-4000' (91-1219 m).

Discussion Whether manzanitas should be considered trees is debatable; a few of the approximately 40 native shrubby species mainly in California (including this one) reach tree size. However, they generally branch or fork near the ground, thus lacking the single trunk of a tree. Manzanita is a Spanish word meaning "little apple." The mealy berries are consumed in great quantities by wildlife of many kinds and were eaten by Indians, who also made them into manzanita cider. The dense evergreen foliage provides shelter for birds and small mammals; deer and goats browse the leaves and twigs. The handsome reddish-brown branches become twisted into odd shapes which are trimmed into collectors' items called "mountain driftwood."