Carried by 20 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Big berry manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca) is a large evergreen shrub to small tree. The leaves are large and light gray-green. In spring hanging bunches of urn-shaped white flowers cover the stems. Insects and hummingbirds love the flowers, and the fruit attracts all sorts of wildlife. The edible fruit, the largest of any manzanita, is round or egg-shaped and light red. This is a long-lived manzanita, moderate to slow growing. It can reach 100 years of age or more, and does not begin to fruit until it is around 20 years old. It grows to 3 to 20 feet tall and 6 to 20 feet wide, with interesting twisting branches and smooth red bark that readily peels.
It is best to plant bigberry manzanita on rocky slopes, avoiding south-facing slopes. It will usually do better if planted near large rocks, or at least with rocks placed around it. It prefers well-draining, acidic soil. It thrives in sun or part-shade. After the first year, direct summer water will often kill this plant.
Shrub
3 - 20 ft Tall
6 - 20 ft Wide
Upright, Upright Columnar
Moderate, Slow
Evergreen
Slight
Pink, White
Spring, Winter
Hedge
Full Sun
Very Low
Max 1x / month once established
Moderate
Tolerates cold to 0° F
Fast, Medium
Can tolerate heavy soil on slopes but does best in well-drained soil.
Tolerates serpentine soil.,Tolerates sodic soil..
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0
By seed or layering. For propagating by seed: Soak in concentrated H2SO4 for 6 to 15 hours. (USDA Forest Service 1974). For the acid treatment, single nutlets and stone pieces (often without embryos) and entire stones should be treated separately, as they require different amounts of time in acid (Giersback 1937). For all species, an alternate method is fire treatment in fall; this gives germination by spring. More easily propagated from tip cuttings in winter using bottom heat.
7, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Rocky chaparral slopes, well-drained flats of the coast and inland to the Coast Ranges, desert transition, and Joshua Tree Woodland, usually below 4500 feet, with scattered locations in the Central Valley and Sierra foothills.
Chaparral, Joshua Tree Woodland, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland
California Juniper (Juniperus californica), Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Coffeeberry (Frangula californica), Hollyleaf Redberry (Rhamnus ilicifolia), Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), Quercus spp., Salvia spp.
Butterflies and moths supported
5 confirmed and 48 likely