Botanical Wonders of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

Manzanitas are most commonly found across the Angeles National Forest on south-facing slopes where they are restricted to various mineral soils (most often granites). A. glandulosa appears in the front range from ~2,000-5,000 feet, A. patula in the higher elevations above ~7,000, A. parryana on the north slopes toward the Mojave from ~5,000-7,500, and A. glauca is common across the range but mostly on the north slopes adjacent to the Mojave from ~4,000-6,000. I never found Arctostaphylos pungens but it is within the range according to various sources.

What follows is a photographic journey through the San Gabriel Mountains to enjoy the spectacular places manzanitas grow.

Arctostaphylos species in Los Angeles County (* denotes county endemic)

catalinae* glandulosa subsp. glandulosa glandulosa subsp. cushingiana glandulosa subsp. mollis glandulosa subsp. gabrielensis glauca parryana subsp. parryana parryana subsp. tumescens pungens patula