Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Manzanita


Manzanita is a plant native to the Western half of North America extending from Canada all the way to northern Mexico. There are 106 species of the plant with the majority growing in California. It is an evergreen plant with a distinctive smooth, red bark. Some species grow into trees, but those in Arizona are usually in the shrub category. I found this one in the mountains just north of Phoenix.

7 comments:

Kate said...

What an interesting shrub/tree! Have never seen it before. What marvelous things we learn on this blog site!

brattcat said...

Looks like the sort of shrub that might have grown around sleeping beauty's castle during her long nap...do these blossom?

Magpie said...

I have always loved manzanita. It's especially beautiful when it snows...something about the red bark and the white snow.

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

My guess is that Kate has seen it before, as she goes to Santa Fe She probably doesn't realize that when looking out from a distance at the high desert hills, much of the greenery will be manzanita.

Judy said...

I love Manzanita. That smooth red bark is so entrancing that I can't help but touch it.

glenda said...

Very beautiful. I think this looks like the Red Manzanita.

Unknown said...

The red is fantastic!