Arctostaphylos glauca Lindl.
Manzanita, bigberry manzanita
Bigberry manzanita is native to California and Baja California.
Plants: Evergreen shrubs are 3–20′ (1–6 m) tall, with dense, rigid, crooked wood. In coastal regions plants are upright, large shrubs or small trees. In deserts they are low and compact.
Leaves: Light gray-green, somewhat waxy, oval to nearly round, with smooth or toothed edges. They are up to 1¾ ⨉ 1½″ (5 ⨉ 4 cm), with petioles ¼–½″ (7–15 mm) in length.
Flowers: Hanging panicles of white flowers shaped like inverted urns. Flowers appear from December to March.
Fruits: Round or egg-shaped light red drupes are ⅜–½″ (1–1.5 cm) in size. They have tough, sticky coats, and contain three to six nutlets fused into a single stone.
Habitats: Chaparral and woodland of coastal and inland hills, on outcrops, ridges, middle or upper slopes, or alluvial fans, at elevations below 1.4 mi (2.2 km).
Edibility: Drupes are edible, though they cause constipation.
Online References:
Arctostaphylos glauca Lindl. var. puberula J.T. Howell
5/3/2018 · Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, California · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 16 cm) 
5/3/2018 · Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, California · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
5/3/2018 · Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, California 
5/3/2018 · Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, California · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) 
5/3/2018 · Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, California · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Ericales | Tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, azalea, many others |
| Family | Ericaceae | Heath or heather family |
| Genus | Arctostaphylos | From arkto, “bear,” and staphyle, “grape,” because bears like the berries |
| Species | glauca | Glaucous, from the Greek meaning “bluish-gray,” referring primarily to the leaves, and specifically to “bloom,” the fine, whitish powder that coats the leaves of certain plants |
Arctostaphylos glauca description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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