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manzanita

American  
[man-zuh-nee-tuh] / ˌmæn zəˈni tə /

noun

manzanitas plural
  1. any of several western North American shrubs or small trees belonging to the genus Arctostaphylos, of the heath family, having leathery leaves and clusters of white to pink flowers.

  2. the fruit of one of these shrubs.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of manzanita

1840–50, < Spanish, diminutive of manzana apple; see manchineel

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Hikers can see California buckwheat, arroyo willow, black sage, big berry manzanita and hairy ceanothus.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 8, 2024

Deer have browsed seedlings of manzanita and island scrub oak — a Channel Islands endemic — into oblivion in some places, according to conservancy scientists.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 2, 2024

On the slopes, manzanita bushes and blades of grass were poking through patches of what little snow had landed.

From New York Times Dec. 28, 2023

Roomy garden placement, say at 11 and 3, ensures that the two specimen performers, the manzanita and the giant feather grass, won’t upstage one another.

From Seattle Times Oct. 7, 2023

In the afternoon heat they snooze in the dusty dirt beneath that tangle of manzanita trees.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Working with Terremoto’s team, Horvitz planted about 100 native plants, including elderberry, sage, brittlebrush and manzanitas.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 4, 2025

For instance, Odell loved the manzanitas that grow prolifically around his family’s 40-acre ranch in Shasta County.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 30, 2024

Bohl and her husband removed the lawn and laid 2 inches of river rock approximately 3/4 to 1-inch wide, planting with agaves, manzanitas and yuccas.

From Seattle Times Apr. 12, 2024

Redwoods, madrones and manzanitas will be replanted, Mr. Rivail said, but not eucalyptuses, which he called “tinder boxes with oils.”

From New York Times Jul. 29, 2021

Arriving at the end of the avenue, and within a short distance of the dwelling, they stop for a final consultation, still under cover of the manzanitas.

From The Flag of Distress A Story of the South Sea by Reid, Mayne

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