Lindsay Bourque wrote today's entry (update on Nov. 6: I neglected to mention these are also Lindsay's photographs - Daniel):
This is a plant that is at its best in tough environments--as long as it has good drainage! Commonly known as hairy manzanita, Arctostaphylos columbiana is found along the Coast-Cascade Ranges from Sonoma County, California, north to Vancouver Island and southwest coastal mainland British Columbia, with the largest population in southwestern Oregon. It is found primarily in evergreen forests and requires fire to break seed dormancy and maximize germination.
Hairy manzanita hybridizes with Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick) to produce Arctostaphylos × media. It also hybridizes with Arctostaphylos nevadensis (pinemat manzanita ) in the Mount Hood region of Oregon, where ranges of the two species overlap. Manzanita is Spanish for "little apples" alluding to the appearance of the small, brown fruits. Some native people reputedly ate the berries, although they are said to cause severe constipation.
A note for local readers by Daniel: Speaking of southwest Oregon, I'll be presenting tonight (late notice, I know) at the Native Plant Society of British Columbia South Coast meeting, held at VanDusen Botanical Garden. The topic is "A Botanical Journey through the Siskiyou Mountains", and I'll be presenting with (occasional BPotD contributor) Ron Long and Virginia Skilton. Meeting starts at 7pm, hope to see you there!
It is always amazing to see an example of the persistence of life. It is easy to be abundant in the proper environment, but, to me, it seems even more beautiful to see a plant growing where nothing else can...
These are amazing, amazing plants. Not only is their tenacity amazing... so is the wood & shape of the plants. There are many here around West Linn, OR.
If it causes severe constipation, it is a possible remedy for dysentery and diarrhea.
Daniel. Every day, I look in my inbox and find an email from you that most assuredly will make my day. But you know the funny thing is, the first thing I see after the url is "...and thank you for subscribing!". Well I want to tell you, Thanks for having this site. You cannot imagine how much I have learned through this site. Thanks ever so much for introducing me to all the wonders that Botany has to offer.
I always amaze with power of nature.your photograph make me happy that I see the real tree in a big scale and i have the same nature of tree in a tiny scale which i get it from the very far places. thanks
IIt's nice. Can anybody give me a guess as to the cold hardiness of this species?
I'll worry about a source of seed later. I'd lke to try it in Illinois in my area near Chicago, where we hit -15° F last year.
my i do have days when i feel just
like the first picture just hanging in there
great pictures reminds one of old
japanese wood block prints
thank you one and all will the meeting
be on you tube do you think
Adam - Have you checked Sunset Western Garden Book or the Jepson Manual? Sunset lists it as hardy in Sunset Zones 4-6 as well as other warmer winter zones. Below freezing doesn't seem like a problem but your inland sub zero (F) temps sound a lot iffy. The Klamath Range doesn't see that type of deep-freeze regularly. Instead of an Orangery you may need a Manzanitery!
yes would it not be nice in a rockery garden in Vancouver..we live on a steep three tier terraced garden that is very rocky south exposed.
Are trees like this sold in nurseries?
It would blend well next to Japanese maples that also have sort of odd shapes branches.
Great shot thanks .
Daniel...would love to see your photos from Rough and Ready. Wish I got to see your talk. There are so many endemic plants in the area that are truly found no where else. Visited many Darlingtonia fens in the areas to collect Hastingsia alba and serptenicola for a systematics research.
Does this (or a close relative) grow as far south as Chile? I remember seeing something very similar, similarly gnarled and in a similarly exposed position, in Chilean Patagonia.
There's an amazing amount of nature that is yet unknown,even for a keen nature student,there's much to learn,thanks for tutoring us daily.
Beautiful curves, they make me think of bonsai trees.
Elizabeth -- sorry, no videos of that presentation. I think we'll be doing a similar one next autumn, and it might be possible to set something up.
Christian -- I didn't get too many photographs from Rough and Ready Botanical Wayside, actually. Long story short, there wasn't room in our 6-passenger vehicle for me to take my dSLR camera gear, so ended up with my point-and-shoot: a) I ran out of battery power when at R and R; and b) I'm not as pleased with my photographs from that trip because of the point-and-shoot (not that there's anything wrong with a point-and-shoot, but it like driving one model of car when all your training and experience is with another model).
Mandy: Arctostaphylos is strictly a north hemisphere genus, so it would have to be something else in Patagonia (I'd be interested to know what it was!)
Daniel - hear hear! I no longer carry a pocket point and shoot. Every time I came home after using it I was unhappy with the shots I got. If the dSLR can't come, I don't get photos.
I don't think Arctostaphylos likes humid wet summers, so it might be a challenge to keep alive east of the Mississippi.
Arctostaphylos is one of my favorite genera, both for its twisted, smooth-barked beauty, and the fact that it's in Ericaceae (sorta like me ;-). Living in California in general, and SoCal in particular, I see Manzanita all over: from the coast, to the mountains, to the desert.
Native peoples did use the fruit for both food and medicinal purposes, as well as the bark, which makes a tasty tea (that I can personally vouch for) that can also be used to treat upset stomaches. I was once told a long, convoluted joke about a native medicine man drinking too much Manzanita tea, and being found dead in his teepee (tea pee... get it?-). I've also had some tasty Manzanita berry jelly.
I remember learning in my plant taxonomy class that Arctostaphylos hybridizes like crazy, and that in some populations, there are no individuals that can be easily placed into a given species.
Btw, GREAT habit shot, Daniel! And I wish I could be there for your talk tonight, having spent several wonderful weeks in the Siskiyous (unfortunately, the forest along the Elk River where I spent that time has since been clearcut... grrrr).
Oops -- Eric, I neglected to note -- these are Lindsay's photographs!
Mandy-I asked a Chilean student in class if what she thought and she said that hairy manzanita resembles vaccinium consanguinium check out these photos: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_consanguineum
Arctostaphylos in general are wonderful plants, although they can be pretty slow growing. I've got a variety called "Sentinel" which puts out just a few inches of growth each year. Either way, they are gorgeous in foliage, flower, bark, and form. The twisted trunks make them appear as natural bonsai, and the leaves are always very neat looking (Same with Rhamnus californica). A few varieties can grow into trees, such as a specimen of Arctostaphylos glauca that was found on Cedar Mountain Ridge. They are very much under appreciated in California, even though there are some fairly quick growing varieties (for a Manzanita).
well they are also found in santa barbara county
central california/southern california beautiful species