Definition

Noun: 1. A specific evergreen shrub native to California: Woolly manzanita is the common name for Arctostaphylos tomentosa, a densely branched shrub characterized by its reddish bark and, notably, by the fine, soft hairs (a "woolly" texture) covering its young twigs and new growth.

Usage Notes

• This is a compound noun that functions as the common name for a single, specific plant species. It is treated as a singular, countable noun.
• It is primarily used in botanical, horticultural, and ecological contexts when describing the flora of California's chaparral and coastal scrub ecosystems.
• The name is descriptive: "woolly" refers to the hairy texture of the new growth, and "manzanita" is the common name for shrubs in the genus .

Examples

• The woolly manzanita is a drought-tolerant shrub well-suited to native gardens.
• We identified several key species in the chaparral, including the woolly manzanita.
• A defining feature of the woolly manzanita is its woolly young twigs.

Advanced Usage

• The name can be used in a more technical or scientific register by including its binomial nomenclature: "The woolly manzanita () is a fire-adapted species."

Variants and Related Words

• Manzanita (n): The general common name for shrubs in the genus , which includes many species like the bigberry manzanita or the greenleaf manzanita.
• Tomentose (adj): The botanical term meaning "covered with dense, matted, woolly hairs," which describes the "woolly" part of the plant's name.

Synonyms

• (n): The formal scientific (Latin) name for the species.

Noun

1. erect openly branched California shrub whose twigs are woolly when young