Plant of the Month

Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia

Common Name: Del Mar Manzanita

Growth Habit: shrubby from 2 ½’ to 15’ tall and wide

Cultural Requirements: A Federally endangered species, it grows naturally on sandstone-derived soils in the southern maritime chaparral along the coast from Encinitas to Del Mar with small populations in Baja.

Features/Uses: The bluish-grey evergreen leaves are a year round feature along with its reddish peeling bark. The bell-shaped blooms are white to pinkish in color. Later round reddish fruits are produced, which are eaten by wildlife. Del Mar Manzanita is not available in nurseries, but some attractive hybrid shrub manzanitas that grow well in gardens are the varieties: ‘Howard McMinn’, ’Louis Edmunds’, ‘Sentinel’, ‘Sunset’, ‘Bert Johnson’, and ‘John Dourly’.

Bloom Time: Flowering begins in January and lasts into March

Where in the Garden: In the natural areas east of the Overlook boardwalk and on the east side of the Native Plants, Native People trail are patches of naturally growing Del Mar manzanitas.

Also see

Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia

NATIVE PLANT CONSERVATION