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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:

The understory of the ponderosa and sugar pine forest was speckled with manzanita, oak trees and dogwoods with yellow leaves, marking the start of fall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2024

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 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

A grapevine, manzanita or eucalyptus wreath makes a year-round framework for temporal additions like holly sprigs in December, followed by forsythia or pussy willows in March.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 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

They had protected a swath of homes tucked deep into stands of pines, sycamores and manzanitas, but they were exhausted.

From New York Times ● Sep. 27, 2015

The trunks of the manzanitas glowed beneath their wine-red skins, while the madronos were clad in glossy, fawn-colored satins.

From Campmates A Story of the Plains by Kirk Munroe

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