Arctostaphylos columbiana Piper
hairy manzanita
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Adolf Ceska     (Photo ID #5591)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Arctostaphylos columbiana
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Erect or spreading shrub, 1-3 m tall; old branches with purplish-red bark; young twigs and stalks greyish-hairy and usually distinctly bristly with longer, scattered, glandular hairs.
Leaves:
Alternate, evergreen, egg- or lance-shaped to elliptic, 2-5 cm long, 1-2.5 cm wide, narrowed at the tip, finely greyish-hairy, especially beneath; stalks about 5 mm long.
Flowers:
In terminal clusters, densely hairy, bracts lance-shaped, 5-15 mm long, usually exceeding stalks; corollas urn-shaped, 6-7 mm long, white or pinkish; ovaries hairy.
Fruits:
Berries, blackish-red, 6-8 mm wide; nutlets coarsely reticulate-pitted on the back.
Notes:
Hybrids often occur between this species and A. uva-ursi, where the two grow together (A. x media Greene).

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Early Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source:  The USDA

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Arctostaphylos columbiana

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
275 75 1420
Slope Gradient (%)
18 0 70

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

148 45 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
1 0 5
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
B
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
48
Modal BEC Zone Class
CWH

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

CDF(1), CWH(45), SWB(1)

Habitat and Range

Dry open forests and rock outcrops in the lowland and montane zones; infrequent in extreme SW BC; S along the coast to CA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Arctostaphylos columbiana subsp. nortensis (P.V. Wells) P.V. Wells
Arctostaphylos columbiana var. tracyi Eastw.
Arctostaphylos tracyi (Eastw.) J.E. Adams ex McMinn