Arctostaphylos glandulosa howellii

Identification

Description

A very nice evergreen manzanita. Foliage is a glossy green with a sprawling character that would be excellent as a groundcover. Flowers are not significant but the foliage and structure more than make up for the lack of show. Native in the Lompoc hills where the Bishop Pine and Blueberry compete for the eye of an artist in a beautiful majestic mountain scene of green. Mix with other groundcover types like Arctostaphylos refugioensis or viridissima for a prehistorically woodsy garden. Throw in some Ceanothus 'Skylark' for more flowers and contrast and maybe a background of Arctostaphylos pechoensis, 'Louis Edmunds' or 'Austin Griffins' for even a more refined prehistoric look. The taxonomy of the subspecies is best described as muddled. Jepson Manual lumps it with Arctostaphylos glandulosa. Smith in "A flora of the Santa Barbara Region" ignores it. Many of the other keys do not recognize it. But the bush is very distinct in the wild, and when grown from the other forms. While I do not think it is a species, it needs to be distinguished from other forms of Arctostaphylos glandulosa. It is possible it is a stable and naturally occurring hybrid of glandulosa and crustacea.