Manzanitas Arctostaphylos

Of nine assessed members, sources take no side on six, rate two keep away, and rate one fire resistant. Kinnikinnick, one of the genus’s most-studied members, is the resistant exception and is described as able to be firewise when properly used and maintained. Unspecified manzanita, Arctostaphylos sp., is rated keep away on a handful of assessments, while Arctostaphylos x coloradensis receives that rating on a single listing.

Maintenance and irrigation recur in two members’ own assessments. Those details apply to the particular findings that mention them, not to the genus as a whole. All manzanitas are shrubs, but their mature height runs from about 0.5 to 12 feet among the five members measured.

Greenleaf manzanita brings a separate warning. A Forest Service review describes that species as highly flammable because of its physical and chemical characteristics. The same review reports lignotuber sprouting after fire and hard seeds that can remain dormant in soil for centuries until stimulated to germinate. Those traits describe greenleaf manzanita alone. Taken together, the findings make “manzanita” too broad a name to serve as a fire-resistance rating.