medicinal herbs
Pine-Mat Manzanita
Arctostaphylos nevadensis

Herb: Pine-Mat Manzanita

Latin name: Arctostaphylos nevadensis

Family: Ericaceae (Heath Family)

Medicinal use of Pine-Mat Manzanita:

The leaves are used in the treatment of diarrhoea. The whole plant is used as an antidote for poisoning by poison oak, Toxicodendron diversiloba. It was probably applied externally to the skin.

Description of the plant:

Plant:

Evergreen
Shrub

Height:

10 cm
(4 inches)

Flowering:

April
to May

Habitat of the herb:

Montane areas.

Edible parts of Pine-Mat Manzanita:

Seed - ground into a powder and added to soups etc. The seed is very small and would be difficult to separate from the fruit. It would be easier to dry the whole fruit, grind this into a powder and use it in soups etc. Fruit. The fruit can be eaten fresh or dried and stored for later use. It can also be pulverised and made into a drink.

Other uses of the herb:

A yellowish-brown dye is obtained from the leaves, it does not require a mordant. A good ground-cover plant for steep sandy banks. A carpeting plant, growing quite rapidly and rooting as it spreads.

Propagation of Pine-Mat Manzanita:

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Pre-soak dried seed in boiling water for 10 - 20 seconds or burn some straw on top of them and then stratify at 2 - 5°C for 2 months. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 3 months at 15°C. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer. Cuttings of side shoots of the current season's growth, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August to December in a frame. Takes one year. Division in early spring. Take care because the plant resents root disturbance. Pot the divisions up and keep them in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are growing away actively. Layering in spring.

Cultivation of the herb: