About Arctostaphylos pungens Kunth
Arctostaphylos pungens Kunth is an erect, spreading evergreen shrub that grows 1 to 3 meters tall. It has smooth red bark, while its smaller twigs and new leaves are lightly woolly. Mature leaves are leathery, shiny green, oval to widely lance-shaped, and up to 4 centimeters long. Its inflorescence is a spherical cluster of the characteristic urn-shaped flowers of manzanita. The plant produces a drupe fruit 5 to 8 millimeters wide. This species is a food source for many types of wildlife, and people harvest it to make jam in many regions of Mexico. The shrub grows best in dry, shallow, acidic soils with a high content of gravel and sand. It forms mycorrhizal relationships to access additional nutrients and water, and its seeds require scarification from wildfire before they can germinate.
