and having a short treelike trunk, although great manzanita, and 

 possibly one or two other species, occasionally attain tree size. 1 2 3 



The genus Arctostaphylos is easily identified by distinctive char- 

 acters of the stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. The stems and 

 branches, except the weak and shreddy stems of bearberry, are 

 crooked, very rigid, and have a thin, smooth, shiny, dark red or 

 chocolate-colored bark. The alternate, evergreen leaves are leathry, 

 entire-edged (with very rare exceptions), and are usually held in 

 an upright position, apparently to prevent excessive transpiration. 

 The small, white or pink, urn-shaped flowers, borne in small nodding 

 terminal clusters, are five-parted, with 10 (sometimes 8) stamens 

 that have awned anthers and hairy anther stalks. The fruit is a 

 smooth, apple-shaped berry, consisting of several, sometimes united 

 nutlets, surrounded by a mealy pulp. 



In the Southwest, manzanitas, and especially pointleaf manzanita, 

 are considered of low forage value for cattle and good for goats, 4 

 but, otherwise, throughout the West are regarded as waste, except 

 for a temporary and unimportant use of the tender sprouts after a 

 fire. In California and Oregon, goats sometimes browse the leathery 

 leaves and peel and eat the bark, 5 but this only occurs on overstocked 

 ranges. The dense, rigid growth of manzanitas prevents the use of 

 associated forage plants and also constitutes barriers to the move- 

 ment of livestock over the range. 



The manzanitas are of considerable value as a food source for 

 wildlife. The use of the mature berries is not confined to bear, as 

 other wildlife, including grouse and turkey, also feed freely on these 

 fruits. During the fall and winter, deer and elk make some use of 

 the foliage, especially bearberry, and greenleaf manzanita and other 

 species have some value as winter deer feed. 6 



Bearberry leaves were an important component of Indian to- 

 baccos. The tannin in bearberry leaves was formerly valuable for 

 curing pelts. Even today this plant is important as a source of 

 tannin in Russia. 7 Extracts from bearberry, great manzanita and 

 other species have various medicinal uses as astringents, in the treat- 

 ment of catarrh, and for the alleviation of diseases of the urinary 

 system. 8 The Indians made cider by crushing the ripe berries. 9 



Manzanitas are of greatest importance as a cover for critical 

 watersheds, especially in California. Part of their value rests in the 

 fact that they are often the first plants to come in on burned areas, 

 and thus check soil losses, particularly the sprouting species. 



1 Jepson, W. L. A MANUAL OF THE FLOWERING PLANTS OF CALIFORNIA. 1,238 pp., illus. 

 Berkeley, Calif. [1925.] 



2 Sudworth, G. B. CHECK LIST OF THE FOREST TREES OF THE UNITED STATES, THEIR 

 NAMES AND RANGES. U. S. Dept. Agr. Misc. Circ. 92, 295 pp. 1927. 



8 Saunders, C. F. WESTERN WILD FLOWERS AND THEIR STORIES. 320 pp., illus. Garden 

 City, N. Y. 1933. 



4 Chapline, W. R. PRODUCTION OF GOATS ON FAR WESTERN RANGES. U. S. Dept. Agr. 

 Bull. 749, 35 pp., illus. 1919. 



B Hatton, J. H. ERADICATION OF CHAPARRAL BT GOAT GRAZING. LASSEN NATIONAL FOR- 

 EST. U. S. Dept. Agr., Rev. Forest Serv. Invest. 2 : 25-28, illus. 1913. 



6 Dixon, J. S. A STUDY OF THE LIFE HISTORY AND FOOD HABITS OF MULE DEER IN CALI- 

 FORNIA. PART 2. FOOD HABITS. Calif. Fish and Game 20 (4) : [315J-354, illus. 1934. 



7 Wood, H. C., Remington, J. P., and Sadtler, S. P., assisted by Lyons, A. B., and Wood, 



H. C., Jr. THE DISPENSATORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BY DK. GEO. B. WOOD 



AND DR. FKANKLIN BACHE. Ed. 19, thoroughly rev. and largely rewritten . . . 1,947 pp. 

 Philadelphia and London. 1907. 



8 Millspaugh, C. F. AMERICAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 2 v. New York and Philadelphia. 

 1887. 



8 Chesnut, V. K. PLANTS USED BY THE INDIANS OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 

 U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Bot., Contrib. U. S. Natl. Herbarium 7 : 295-422, illus. 1902. 



