Greenleaf Manzanita, Arctostaphylos patula

About Greenleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula) 10 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Arctostaphylos patula is a species in the Ericaceae (Heath) family known by the common name Greenleaf Manzanita. This is a shrub of the Sierras and Klamath mountains, living at higher elevations and tolerating very cold winters. It reaches between one and two meters in height. Like other Manzanitas its lower branches extend more outward than upward and may root in the soil where they touch. The stems are twisting and reddish-brown in color, and shiny due to hairy secretion. The leaves are oval-shaped to nearly round, and flat, shiny, and smooth. They are 6 centimeters long and four wide at maximum. The plentiful flowers are white to pink and urn-shaped, each with five small lobes at the mouth of the corolla, hanging in bunches. The fruits are dark brown drupes nearly a centimeter wide, each containing about five hard-coated seeds. Seeds require fire followed by cold conditions to germinate; seeds can remain dormant in soil for hundreds of years. In a few areas Greenleaf Manzanitas produce lignotubers from which they can reproduce vegetatively. In the garden this plant seems to tolerate many conditions. However, it is not tolerant of alkaline soil. To learn more, visit the Jepson Herbarium's YouTube channel and watch a short video about this species:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bKeWAUPEBM

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

3.3 - 7 ft tall
9 ft wide

Form

Upright, Mounding

Growth Rate

Slow

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flower Color

White, Pink

Flowering Season

Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported

Numerous insects are attracted to the flowers. Birds and small mammals are attracted to the fruits.
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 20 confirmed

, 35 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalusHyalophora euryalus

Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina

Mendocino Silk Moth Saturnia mendocinoSaturnia mendocino

Lappet Moth Phyllodesma americanaPhyllodesma americana

Forest Tent Caterpillar Malacosoma disstriaMalacosoma disstria

Small-eyed Sphinx Paonias myopsPaonias myops

Western Tent Caterpillar Malacosoma californicaMalacosoma californica

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Low

Nurseries

Carried by 10

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil Drainage

Fast

Soil Description

Typically decomposed granite. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.5

Common uses

Hedges, Bird Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Trees: White Fir (Abies concolor), Red Fir (Abies magnifica), Desert Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolium), Dogwood (Cornus sp.), Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus), Pinus sp., Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides), Canyon Oak (Quercus chrysolepis),

Shrubs: Mountain Grape (Berberis aquifolium), Ceanothus sp., Buckwheat (Eriogonum sp.), coffeeberry (Frangula sp.), Honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.), Western Labrador Tea (Rhododendron columbianum), and Huckleberry (Vaccinum sp.)

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: Soak in concentrated H2SO4 for 2 hrs. then 3 mos. stratification (Carlson and Sharp 1975); or concentrated H2S04 for 4 hrs. then 4 mos. stratification ( USDA Forest Service 1974). For the acid treatment, single nutlets and stone pieces (often without embryos) and entire stones should be treated separately, as they require different amounts of time in acid (Giersback 1937) An alternate method is fire treatment in fall, this gives germination by spring. More easily propogated from tip cuttings in winter using bottom heat.

Sunset Zones?

1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 15, 16, 18

Natural Setting

Site Type

Often found growing among granite boulders in forest openings or treeless places at higher elevations

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.8" - 156.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.24" - 6.33", Coldest Month: 11.1" - 52.0", Hottest Month: 34.4" - 80.0", Humidity: 0.36" - 30.21", Elevation: 129" - 14113"

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Greenleaf Manzanita

Arctostaphylos patula

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Greenleaf ManzanitaArctostaphylos patula

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Greenleaf Manzanita

Arctostaphylos patula