The sticky fruit of manzanita: potential functions beyond epizoochory

In the coast range of California, the fruit of several manzanita (Arctostaphylos) species, including A. viscida, A. glandulosa, and A. hooveri, are covered in glandular-sticky hairs. The blueberry-sized fruit remain viscid after ripening, and if you walk through dense manzanita patches during the late spring and summer you are bound to end up with globs of fruit hanging loosely from your shirt and pants. While picking the fruit off your clothes, you may also notice that many of the fruit have dead insects firmly stuck in the glue-like exudates secreted by their dense glandular trichomes (Figure 1). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.