Manzanita is the common name for many species of the genus Arctostaphylos . They are cypress shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biomes in western North America, where they occur from Southern British Columbia and Washington to Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas in the United States, and throughout Mexico. Manzanitas can live in places with bad soil and little water. They are characterized by orange peel or subtle and rigid red, tortuous branches. There are 105 species and subspecies manzanita, 95 of which are found in the Mediterranean climate and colder mountains in California, ranging from coastal species and mountains that hug on land to small trees up to 20 feet (6 m) tall. Manzanitas bloom in winter until early spring and bring berries in spring and summer. The fruits and flowers of most species can be eaten.
The word manzanita is the Spanish from manzana (apple). The literal translation is the small app . The name manzanita is also sometimes used to refer to species within the related genus Arbutus, known by that name in the Canadian region from the reach of trees, but more commonly known as madroÃÆ'Â ± o, or madrone in the United States.
Video Manzanita
Usage
Medical use
Native Americans in Northern California make tisane from manzanita leaves to treat a rash of poisonous oaks. Leaves contain chemicals with mild disinfectant qualities, and can be used for mild urinary tract infections.
Culinary use
Fruit is a good food, because they can be harvested in bulk and stored. Once stored and dried, the fruit can be ground into rough food. The berries can be eaten mature (when red) or green to taste slightly acid. They are either eaten alone, or used as a thickener or sweetener on other plates. Fresh fruit and branch tips can be soaked in water to make apple juice. Native Americans used the leaves of Manzanita as a toothbrush.
Use of the landscape
Manzanity is particularly useful as an ornamental plant in gardens in the western United States and similar climatic zones. They are always green, very drought resistant, have beautiful bark and interesting flowers and fruits, and come in different sizes and growth patterns.
Arctostaphylos columbiana , for example, is powerful enough to be used for highway landscapes in western Oregon and Washington. Arctostaphylos 'Emerald Carpet', A. uva-ursi (Bearberry), and other low manzanities are valuable green groundcovers for dry slopes. Larger varieties, such as Arctostaphylos. 'Dr. Hurd, 'can be planted as individual specimens, and trimmed to emphasize striking patterns and branch colors. They prefer bright, well-drained soil, although a low-growth soil cover will tolerate heavier soils.
Decorative use
The Manzanita branch is very popular as an ornament, because of its unique shape, color, and strength when it is dried. Flower shops sometimes use it as centerpieces at wedding receptions and other events, often adding hanging candles, beaded gems and small flowers to them.
This wood is very difficult to cure, mostly due to cracking of the grain, giving some usefulness as wood. Slow growth rates and many branches further reduce the size available. Some furniture and art use a whole rounded branch, which reduces cracks and retains the deep red color.
Dead wood is slowly decaying and can last for years, inside and outside the plant. The sun's rays soften and whiten the manzanita into light gray or white, making it very similar to the animal bones. Because of this and the stunted growth of many species, manzanita is often collected in a more unusual form, giving it the nickname of mountain bonfire.
Manzanita wood is also used as a perch parrot and other large pet birds. The branches of the larger species are very durable for this purpose. Some aquarium keepers use a sandblasted manibu as driftwood in an aquarium planted because of its attractive branch growth and chemical neutrality.
If it is cleaned and healed properly, it lasts longer than immersion. The wood is also resistant to leaching of tannins into the water column, a problem commonly found in other aquarium floating timbers. When used as driftwood, manzanita should often be weighed for several weeks or soaked first to counter the natural buoyancy of the wood when it has been dried and healed. Green wood does not float.
Manzanita wood, when dry, is very good to be burned in a campfire, barbecue, fireplace, or stove. It was solid and burned at high temperatures for a long time. However, caution should be exercised, as high temperatures can damage thin-walled barbecue, and even cracked cast iron furnaces or cause fire chimneys.
Other Use
During World War II, the Manzanita root burles were used as genuine ingredients wise to make cigarette pipe due to their connection and fireproof properties similar to unfilled import briars. Labeled as "Briar Mission", harvested for the remainder of the war, immediately stops once imported briar supplies are available again.
Maps Manzanita
Rarity and endemic
Some species of manzanita are among the rarest plants in the world. Endemic Arctostaphylos hookeri ravenii (Presidio manzanita) is the most endangered and limited plant in the continental United States. In 1987 only one specimen remained, at a secret location in Presidio San Francisco's Historic Historic Landmark District in San Francisco, California. This plant has been successfully cloned. Arctostaphylos franciscana (Franciscan Manzanita), a native species of San Francisco, has not been seen growing wild since 1947 until it was seen growing up in Presidio San Francisco in October 2009. Caltrans transplanted this specimen on January 23, 2010 to make way for the Project Doyle Drive Replacement. The cost of transplantation is funded in part by the Federal Highways Administration, Caltrans, Presidio San Francisco, and private donors.
Evolution of the genus
Evolution of the genus is relatively new; However, in Hogan's search on the evolutionary history of the genus: "Convergent evolutionary patterns seem to complicate the chlistic construction of certain parts of the genus of the cladogram.In any case, the fossil ancestor of the genus Arctostaphylos has been suggested to have occurred Middle Miocene, with modern species beginning to form at the Tertiary End. "
See also
- Artemisia californica (California sagebrush)
- Chamise
- Baccharis pilularis (Coyote brush)
- Bearberry
- Category: Arctostaphylos
- Xylococcus bicolor (Mission Manzanita)
References
External links
- "Mysterious Mysterious Baffle Manzanita House" Part 1 San Francisco Chronicle, author Ron Sullivan, Joe Eaton, Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Note that this is not a presidio manzanita but an unclassified species!
- ITIS 23467 List of ITIS species
- Manzanita in Central Arizona Nice photo of copper-colored skin.
- An Uncomfortable Plant writer Joe Eskenazi, SF Weekly April 16, 2008, reviewing Manzanita
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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