Introductory
SPECIES: Arctostaphylos pungens | Pointleaf Manzanita 



ABBREVIATION : 
ARCPUN

SYNONYMS : 
NO-ENTRY


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   ARPU5


COMMON NAMES : 
   pointleaf manzanita
   Mexican manzanita


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name of pointleaf manzanita is
Arctostaphylos pungens H.B.K. (Ericaceae) [13,19,25,32].


LIFE FORM : 
Shrub

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
H. Harris, October 1988


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Harris, Holly T. 1988. Arctostaphylos pungens. In: Remainder of Citation

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Arctostaphylos pungens | Pointleaf Manzanita 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Pointleaf manzanita is distributed from California, Nevada, and Utah to
western Texas.  Its range extends south into Mexico to the states of
Chihuahua, Coahiula, Veracruz, and Oaxaca [12,19,25,32].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES21  Ponderosa pine
   FRES28  Western hardwoods
   FRES34  Chaparral - mountain shrub


STATES : 
     AZ  CA  NV  NM  TX  UT  MEXICO


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     CHIR  CORO  FOBO  GRCA  LAME  PINN
     SAGU  ZION


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    3  Southern Pacific Border
    6  Upper Basin and Range
    7  Lower Basin and Range
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K019  Arizona pine forest
   K030  California oakwoods
   K031  Oak - juniper woodlands
   K032  Transition between K031 and K037
   K033  Chaparral
   K034  Montane chaparral
   K037  Mountain mahogany - oak scrub


SAF COVER TYPES : 
   237  Interior ponderosa pine
   241  Western live oak
   247  Jeffrey pine
   249  Canyon live oak


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Pointleaf manzanita is present in pine (Pinus spp.) forests and oak
woodlands, but occurs most frequently in chaparral communities [22] 

Publications listing pointleaf manzanita as a dominant or codominant
shrub layer species include:

Classification of the forest vegetation on the National Forests of
  Arizona and New Mexico [1]
Arizona chaparral: plant associations and ecology [3]
Forest habitat types in the Apache, Gila, and part of the Cibola
  National Forests, Arizona and New Mexico [8]
A habitat type classification system for ponderosa pine forests of
  northern Arizona [11]
Forest and woodland habitat types (plant associations) of northern New
  Mexico and northern Arizona [17]
The natural vegetation of Arizona [21]

VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Arctostaphylos pungens | Pointleaf Manzanita 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Goats will graze pointleaf manzanita leaves, browse young twigs, and
strip the bark for sap in the spring; new growth is occasionally used by
deer [29].  Pase and Pond [23] report a 30 percent utilization rate of
current year's growth on young pointleaf manzanita seedlings by cattle
and deer on a 2-year-old burn site in Arizona.  Pointleaf manzanita
berries are found in the diets of skunks, coyotes, foxes, grouse, quail,
bears, and deer [23,25,31,32].  Overall, the genus Arctostaphylos is
considered low quality browse, and is indicative of range problems if
heavily used [4].


PALATABILITY : 
Palatability of pointleaf manzanita is low for deer in all seasons and
for all plant parts (leaves, twigs, fruit) [20].  Palatability for other
animals has not been assessed.


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Food value of pointleaf manazanita has not been documented in the
literature.


COVER VALUE : 
Cover value of pointleaf manzanita has not been documented in the
literature.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
In Mexico, a jelly is made from unripe pointleaf manzanita fruits.  The
leaves and fruits are used as a remedy for stomach trouble, bronchitis,
and venereal disease [4,14,29].



MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Pointleaf manzanita may be used as an indicator of range condition; if
heavily browsed, range problems are evident [4].

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Arctostaphylos pungens | Pointleaf Manzanita 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Pointleaf manzanita is a short-lived, native evergreen shrub
approximately of 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 3 m) in height.  Leaves are bright
green, 1 inch long and 0.5 inch wide (3 x 1.5 cm); the bark is red-brown
and smooth.  Generally erect or ascending, the plant branches from the
base to form thickets [5,12,13,32].  Decumbent branches often form
roots, and may or may not break away from the mother plant [4,32].
Pointleaf manzanita does not form a basal burl [5,19].

The root system is shallow and fibrous; however, taproots are
well-developed in sandy soil.  While roots greater than 0.5 inch (1 cm)
in diameter have been found in soil up to 20 inches (50 cm) deep, 65
percent of the root system exists in the top 8 inches (20 cm) of soil
[16,31].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
In the absence of fire, pointleaf manzanita has grown to 20 feet in
diameter at an estimated age of 50 years.  Significant increases in size
are the result of layering rather than sprouting.  Lower branches lying
on the ground take root and may break from the mother plant, resulting
in a "fairyring" type of growth [22,24].  As the plant ages, it becomes
unproductive; the central portion progressively dies while the periphery
remains vigorous [22].

Seed germination occurs immediately after heat scarification by fire,
allowing rapid revegetation in burned areas [3,4].  

Pointleaf manzanita can by propagated by seeds sown in the fall in
well-drained soil.  Germination may be hastened by soaking seeds for 2
to 3 hours in sulfuric acid prior to planting.  Germination averages 35
percent [32].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Pointleaf manzanita is found on dry, rocky slopes and mesas at
elevations of 3,000 to 8,000 feet (900-2,400 m) throughout its range
[12,13,19,32].  Upper limits of chaparral areas (7,000 ft) often border
ponderosa pine associations, and pointleaf manzanita is commonly found
in this transitional zone.  Characteristically, chaparral is dry and
warm; however, pointleaf manzanita may dominate relatively moist sites
at higher elevations. Most precipitation in chaparral vegetational zones
areas occurs as rain, with thunderstorms in summer and occasional
snowfall at high elevations in winter; spring drought is common.  Mean
monthly precipitation varies from 0.39 inch (1 cm) in May to 3.7 inches
(8 cm) in August and December.  Temperatures vary from 41 degrees F (5
degrees C) in January to 77 degrees F (25 degrees C) in July.

Soils in chaparral tend to be poorly developed, unstable, and coarse
[22].  While chaparral occurs on a variety of parent rock material,
pointleaf manzanita is known to grow on soils of granite and quartzite
origins [3].  The ponderosa pine/pointleaf manzanita community type
occurs on several different soil series and on gentle to steep slopes in
northern Arizona [11].  Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.) are
characteristic in chihuahua pine/Arizona white oak (Pinus
chihuahuana/Quercus arizonica) habitat types south of the Mogollon Rim
in Arizona and New Mexico, where soils are lithic [6].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

Pointleaf manzanita forms climax and seral chaparral communities in
Arizona [3,22].  Seral communities may develop on ridges and steep
slopes where higher temperatures and poor soils restrict pringle
manzanita (A. pringlei) [22].  Hanks and others [11] described the
ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)/pointleaf manzanita community as late
seral and/or a climax, but stated that successional status assessment of
forest/chaparral types is difficult and arbitrary.  Alexander and Ronco
[1] list pointleaf manzanita as an indicator of climax pine (Pinus spp.)
habitat types which burn frequently.  On some sites, live oak (Quercus
spp.) associations may replace pointleaf manzanita associations in the
absence of fire [3,27].  Pointleaf manzanita seeds successfully
germinate after fire, and plants live long enough to remain a component
of communities throughout successional stages.


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Little is known about the phenology of pointleaf manzanita.  Flowering
generally occurs from January to March or April [4,19,25,32] with the
fruit maturing from April to July [29,31,32].

FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Arctostaphylos pungens | Pointleaf Manzanita 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Unlike the many manzanita species, pointleaf manzanita does not sprout
from the crown or roots following fire [3,4,22].  Pointleaf manzanita is
an obligate seeder following fire, and prolific seed crops may be stored
in the soil for decades [4,22].  Seeds readily germinate following heat
scarification [3].

Pointleaf manzanita communities are characteristic of frequently burned
areas with dry, coarse soils, and are typically found in the transition
zone between chaparral and pine or oak woodlands [6,11].  Frequent fire
prevents ponderosa pine/pointleaf manzanita communities from reaching
climax in northern Arizona, and maintains them in a late seral stage
[11].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)

FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Arctostaphylos pungens | Pointleaf Manzanita 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Depending on fire severity, the mother plant is killed or greatly
reduced by fire up to 6 years after burning [18,27].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Soil-stored seeds germinate following fire, resulting in numerous
seedlings within 5 years [23].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Pointleaf manzanita depends on heat from fires for long-term survival as
a species.  In chaparral and dry pine forests, pointleaf manzanita has
been susceptible to wildfire in the past; however, fire suppression in
shrublands and forests in recent years has hindered its regenerative
capabilities [22].

Areas dominated by non-sprouting chaparral species, including pointleaf
manzanita, may develop a persistant cover of herbaceous species
following fire [27].

REFERENCES
SPECIES: Arctostaphylos pungens | Pointleaf Manzanita 



REFERENCES : 

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Related categories for Species: Arctostaphylos pungens | Pointleaf Manzanita