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Arctostaphylos pungens

pointleaf manzanita

Ericaceae

Southwestern United States and Mexico

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Hummingbirds Drought Tolerant

Native to North America

SunFull Sun

WaterVery Low · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 7–10

Overview

Arctostaphylos pungens is an evergreen shrub in the heath family reaching 3-10 feet (0.9-3 m) tall and wide, with a dense, rounded, often thicket-forming crown. The bark is smooth and red-brown, peeling in thin flakes over crooked, muscular branches. Stiff, leathery leaves are pointed at the tip, 0.8-1.6 inches (2-4 cm) long, gray-green, and held upright to limit water loss in dry heat. Small urn-shaped flowers, white to pale pink and about 0.25 inch (6 mm) long, hang in clusters from late winter into spring. They are followed by round red-brown berries 0.2-0.3 inch (5-8 mm) wide holding dry, hard seeds. A. pungens grows on dry, rocky slopes and chaparral across the southwestern United States and Mexico, withstanding drought, heat, and poor soil once established. It resprouts poorly after fire in some populations and relies on seed that needs heat or smoke to germinate, slowing natural recovery. The wood is dense and the shrub is slow-growing, taking several years to reach full size.

Native Range

Arctostaphylos pungens is native to the southwestern United States, from California and Texas south through Mexico to Oaxaca. It grows in chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodland, and dry rocky slopes at middle elevations.

Suggested Uses

Arctostaphylos pungens is used in native and water-wise gardens, dry slopes, and erosion control on rocky ground. Its red bark and evergreen leaves give year-round structure in chaparral and desert plantings. Birds and mammals eat the berries, and the early flowers feed bees.

How to Identify

Look for a rounded evergreen shrub with smooth red-brown bark and stiff, upright, sharply pointed gray-green leaves 0.8-1.6 inches (2-4 cm) long. Clusters of small white to pink urn-shaped flowers hang at the branch tips in late winter. The pointed leaf tips and crooked red bark separate it from other manzanitas such as A. glauca, which has broader, blunt-tipped, blue-gray leaves.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 10'

Width/Spread3' - 10'

Reaches mature size in approximately 7 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~10 weeks

Winter Spring

Urn-shaped white to pink flowers appear from late winter into spring, roughly January to April, in drooping clusters. They are pollinated mainly by bees and other early insects. Round red-brown berries follow in late spring and summer and persist into fall.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

white to pale pink

Foliage Description

gray-green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand rocky loam

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Very Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

5-10 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Arctostaphylos pungens grows in full sun and sharp, fast-draining rocky or sandy soil, matching its dry chaparral habitat. Once established it needs no summer water and can rot if irrigated in warm, wet soil. It tolerates heat, drought, wind, and low fertility but will not endure heavy clay or standing moisture. Growth is slow, and plants resent root disturbance, so transplanting older shrubs rarely succeeds. Seed germinates erratically and usually needs fire, heat, or scarification to break dormancy. In gardens it suits dry slopes, native plantings, and unwatered borders in mild-winter regions.

Pruning

Little pruning is needed. Dead or crossing branches can be removed in late spring after flowering to open the crown. Hard cutting into old bare wood is risky, since the shrub regrows slowly and may not resprout.