Arctostaphylos patula

Common Names

Greenleaf Manzanita, Green Leaf Manzanita, Green Manzanita, Manzanita, Snowbrush Manzanita, Greenleaf

Summary

Greenleaf Manzanita is an evergreen shrub native to western North America, forming a broad, rounded crown in open conifer forests and montane chaparral. It grows erect to 3–7 ft tall, with reddish-brown smooth bark on mature stems and resinous, short-hairy twigs bearing golden glands; leaves are bright green and glossy, 2–6 cm long and 1.5–4 cm wide, and urn-shaped pinkish-white flowers appear in panicles, followed by depressed-globose brown drupes 7–10 mm in diameter.

Cultivation favors dry, well-drained acidic soils with full sun to light shade; it is hardy in USDA Zones 5–9 and is drought-tolerant once established, though not tolerant of saline or alkaline soils. Seed propagation is difficult (<10% germination without treatment) but can be aided by scarification, boiling-water treatment, burning, and 2–8 months of stratification; vegetative propagation via cuttings (Mar–May) with rooting hormone is possible. Plant higher than surrounding soil to prevent crown rot, mulch recommended, and it is used for erosion control and ornamental plantings, with berries providing wildlife value.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

3-7 ft

Spread

4-6 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 5-10

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun to partial shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained, sandy to loamy, mildly acidic to neutral soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil

Soil pH

5.0-7.5, Slightly acidic to neutral (about pH 5.5)

Bloom Color

White to pink, pinkish-white

Bloom Time

Spring to Summer

Foliage Color

Green to bright green, yellow-green

Fall Foliage Color

No fall foliage color; evergreen leaves.

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Slow growth, especially in the first few years, then moderate.

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Division, Layering, Lignotuber-based vegetative propagation, Vegetative: sprouting from a belowground woody tuber

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds