Manzanita branches with red bark.

Manzanita is a common name for many species of the genus Arctostaphylos. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees present in the chaparral biome of western North America, where they occur from southern British Columbia, Washington to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and throughout much of northern and central Mexico. They are characterized by smooth, orange or red bark and stiff, twisting branches. There are 106 species of manzanita, 95 of which are found in the Mediterranean climate and colder mountainous regions of California, ranging from ground-hugging coastal and mountain species to small trees up to 20 feet (6m) tall. Manzanitas bloom in the winter to early spring and carry berries in spring and summer.^[1] The berries and flowers of most species are edible.

The word manzanita is the Spanish diminutive of manzana (apple). A literal translation would be little apple. The name manzanita is also sometimes used to refer to species in the related genus Arbutus, which is known by that name in the Canadian area of the tree's range, but is more usually known as madroño, or madrone in the United States.

Uses[link]

A Manzanita bush.

Culinary use[link]

Traditional uses of the plant include collecting the berries, drying them, and grinding them up into a coarse meal. Fresh berries and branch tips were also soaked in water to make a refreshing cider. The younger leaves are sometimes plucked and chewed by hikers to deter thirst.^{[citation needed]} Native Americans used Manzanita leaves as toothbrushes.^{[2][unreliable source?]}

Landscape use[link]

Manzanitas are extremely useful as ornamental plants in gardens in the western United States and similar climate zones. They are evergreen, highly drought-tolerant, have picturesque bark and attractive flowers and berries, and come in many sizes and growth patterns.

Arctostaphylos columbiana, for example, is hardy enough to be used for highway landscaping in western Oregon and Washington. Arctostaphylos 'Emerald Carpet', A. uva-ursi (the Bearberry), and other low-growing manzanitas are extremely valuable evergreen groundcovers for dry slopes. Larger varieties, such as Arctostaphylos. 'Dr. Hurd,' can be grown as individual specimens, and pruned to emphasize the striking pattern and colors of the branches. They prefer light, well-drained soil, although the low-growing ground covers will tolerate heavier soils.

Decorative use[link]

Manzanita branches are popular as decoration, due to their unique shape, color, and strength when dried.

Manzanita bark

The wood is notoriously hard to cure, mostly due to cracking against the grain, giving it few uses as timber. The slow growth rate and many branchings further decrease the sizes available. Some furniture and art employ whole round branches, which reduces cracking and preserves the deep red color.

The dead wood decays slowly and can last for many years, on and off the plant. Sunlight smooths and bleaches manzanita to light grey or white, rendering it superficially akin to animal bones. Because of this and the stunted growth of many species, manzanita is often collected in its more unusual shapes, giving it the nickname mountain driftwood.

Manzanita wood is also used as perches for parrots and other large pet birds. The branches of the larger species are extremely long-lasting for this purpose.Some aquarium keepers use sandblasted manzanita as driftwood in planted aquaria because of its attractive forked growth and its chemical neutrality.

If properly cleaned and cured, it holds up well over extended periods of submersion. The wood is also resistant to the leaching of tannins into the water column, a problem often found with other aquarium driftwoods. When used as driftwood, manzanita must often be either weighted down for several weeks or soaked first to counteract the wood's natural buoyancy.

Manzanita wood, when dry, is excellent for burning in a campfire, barbecue, fireplace, or stove. It is dense and burns at a high temperature for long periods. However, caution should be exercised, because the high temperatures can damage thin-walled barbecues, and even crack cast iron stoves or cause chimney fires.

Rarity and endemics[link]

Some manzanita species are among the rarest plants in the world. The endemic Arctostaphylos hookeri ravenii (Presidio manzanita) is the most endangered and restricted plant in the mainland United States. In 1987 only one specimen remained, at a secret location in the Presidio of San Francisco National Historic Landmark District in San Francisco, California. This plant has since been successfully cloned.^[3] Arctostaphylos franciscana (Franciscan Manzanita), a species native to San Francisco, had not been seen growing wild since 1947 until it was spotted growing in the Presidio of San Francisco in October, 2009.^[1] Caltrans transplanted this specimen on January 23, 2010, at a cost to California taxpayers of over $200,000, to make way for the Doyle Drive Replacement Project.^[4]

See also[link]

• California sagebrush
• Chamise
• Coyote brush
• Bearberry
• Category: Arctostaphylos

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/26/BA0L1B57HP.DTL
2. ^ Bear Grylls Man vs. Wild Sierra Nevada episode (US: 8 December 2006 Discovery Channel, UK: 31 Mar 2007 Channel 4)
3. ^ 02.08.95 - Researching The Last Manzanita
4. ^ Caltrans. (2010, January 23). Doyle Drive Transplanting Manzanita Bush 01-23-10. Retrieved March 11, 2010, from http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/photography/images/100123/

External links[link]

• San Francisco Chronicle Story – Part 1 (May 2008) "Mysterious Manzanita Baffles Homeowners", by: Ron Sullivan, Joe Eaton, Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Of great interest note in Article that this is not Presidio manzanita but an as yet unclassified species!
• ITIS 23467 ITIS species list
• Manzanita in Central Arizona Good photo of the copper colored bark.
• SF Weekly cover story about the Manzanita (April 2008)

This article is for the guitarist. For the former football player see Tony Rice (American football).

Tony Rice
Background information
Born	(1951-06-08) June 8, 1951 (age 61) in Danville, Virginia
Genres	Americana, Bluegrass, Folk
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Rounder
Website	Official website
Notable instruments
1935 Martin D-28 (previously owned by Clarence White)[1] Santa Cruz Tony Rice Professional

Tony Rice (born David Anthony Rice, June 8, 1951, Danville, Virginia) is an American acoustic guitarist and bluegrass musician. He is considered one of the most influential acoustic guitar players in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz.^[2][3]

Rice spans the range of acoustic music, from traditional bluegrass to jazz-influenced New Acoustic music, to songwriter-oriented folk. Over the course of his career, he has played alongside J. D. Crowe and the New South, David Grisman (during the formation of “Dawg Music”) and Jerry Garcia, led his own Tony Rice Unit, collaborated with Norman Blake, recorded with his brothers Wyatt, Ron and Larry and co-founded the Bluegrass Album Band. He has recorded with drums, piano, soprano sax, as well as with traditional bluegrass instrumentation. ^[4][5]

Early years[link]

Rice was born in Danville, Virginia but grew up in Los Angeles, California, where he was introduced to bluegrass by his father, a semi-professional musician named Herb Rice. Tony and his brothers learned the fundamentals of bluegrass and country music from hot L.A. pickers like the Kentucky Colonels, led by Roland and Clarence White. Clarence White in particular became a huge influence on Tony Rice. Crossing paths with fellow enthusiasts like Ry Cooder, Herb Pedersen and Chris Hillman reinforced the strength of the music he had learned from his father.^[6]

In 1970, Rice had moved to Louisville, Kentucky where he played with the Bluegrass Alliance, and shortly thereafter, J.D. Crowe's New South. The New South was known as one of the best and most progressive bluegrass groups - eventually adding drums and electric instruments (to Rice's displeasure). But when Ricky Skaggs joined up in 1974, the band recorded "J. D. Crowe & the New South", an acoustic album that became Rounder’s top-seller up to that time. At this point, the group consisted of Rice on guitar and lead vocals, Crowe on banjo and vocals, Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Skaggs on fiddle, mandolin, and tenor vocals, and Bobby Slone on bass and fiddle.

David Grisman Quintet[link]

Around this time, Rice met mandolinist David Grisman, who played with Red Allen during the '60s and was now working on some original material that blended jazz, bluegrass and classical styles. Rice left the New South and moved to California to join Grisman’s all-instrumental group. As part of the David Grisman Quintet, Rice expanded his musical horizons beyond three chord bluegrass, studying chord theory, learning to read charts and expanding the range of his playing. Renowned guitarist John Carlini was brought in to teach Rice music theory, and Carlini helped him learn the intricacies of jazz playing and musical improvisation in general. The David Grisman Quintet's 1977 debut recording is considered a landmark of acoustic string band music.

RockyGrass 2005

Solo career and Bluegrass Album Band[link]

In 1979, Rice left Grisman's group to pursue his own brand of music. He recorded "Acoustics", a jazz-inspired acoustic record, and then Manzanita,^[7] a collection of vocals and instrumentals, mostly in the bluegrass, but also folk style. This album doesn't include the five-string banjo. In 1980, Rice, Crowe, Bobby Hicks, Doyle Lawson and Todd Phillips formed a highly successful coalition, attacking bluegrass standards under the name the Bluegrass Album Band. This group recorded six volumes of music from 1980 to 1996.

Rice’s solo career hit its stride with "Cold on the Shoulder", a collection of bluegrass-inspired vocals. With this album, "Native American" and "Me & My Guitar", Rice arrived at a formula that incorporated his disparate influences, combining bluegrass, the songwriting of folk artists like Ian Tyson, Joni Mitchell, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Bob Dylan and especially Gordon Lightfoot, with nimble, jazz-inflected guitar work. Simultaneously, he pursued his jazz-infused, experimental “spacegrass” with the Tony Rice Unit on the albums "Mar West", "Still Inside", and "Backwaters".

Collaborations[link]

In 1980 he recorded an album of bluegrass duets with Ricky Skaggs, called Skaggs & Rice. Two highly regarded albums with traditional instrumentalist and songwriter Norman Blake garnered a great deal of acclaim, as well as two Rice Brothers albums (1992 and 1994) that featured him teamed with his late elder brother, Larry and younger brothers, Wyatt and Ronnie. In 1993 he joined David Grisman and Jerry Garcia, to record The Pizza Tapes. Year after, Rice and Grisman recorded Tone Poems, an original collection of material, where they used historical vintage mandolins and guitars, different for each track. In 1995, Rice recorded folk album featuring just two guitars with John Carlini, who also worked for David Grisman Quintet. In 1997, Tony, his brother Larry, Chris Hillman (founder of Byrds) and banjoist Herb Pedersen, founded so-called "anti-supergroup" Rice, Rice, Hillman & Pedersen ^[8] and produced three volumes of music between 1997 and 2001.

Tony Rice today[link]

Tony Rice (right) performing with Peter Rowan at the Kent Stage in Kent, Ohio, November 2008

Since the early nineties, Rice's singing voice has silenced due to dysphonia, but he remains one of new acoustic music's top instrumentalists, bringing originality and vitality to everything he plays.^[9] He has often collaborated with Peter Rowan and they have recorded two CDs for Rounder Records: "You Were There For Me," released 2004, and "Quartet," released in 2007. For the second recording, Rice and Rowan were joined by Bryn Bright on vocals/bass and Sharon Gilchrist on vocals/mandolin.^[10] 2007 saw Tony team up with Alison Krauss and Union Station for a string of spring concerts, drawing material from Rice's 35-year career. Krauss always has cited Rice as being her prime musical influence.^[11] Rice resides in Reidsville, North Carolina.

Publications[link]

The authorized biography of Tony Rice, titled "Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story," has been completed by Tim Stafford (a member of award-winning bluegrass ensemble Blue Highway) and Hawai`i journalist Caroline Wright, and was published by Word Of Mouth Press in Kingsport, TN, USA in 2010. The book's official release took place at Merlefest in North Carolina, USA.^[12][13]

Discography[link]

Awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

• Best Country Instrumental Performance - The New South, Fireball - 1983

IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Awards[link]

• Instrumental Performer of the Year - Guitar - 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2007
• Instrumental Group of the Year - The Tony Rice Unit - 1991, 1995
• Instrumental Group of the Year - The Bluegrass Album Band - 1990
• Instrumental Album of the Year - Bluegrass Instrumentals, Volume 6 (Rounder) ; The Bluegrass Album Band - 1997

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• http://www.classicwebs.com/bg_allia.htm
• 1998 Flatpicking Guitar Magazine Article
• Tony Rice on YouTube
  • Manzanita
  • Ten Degrees and Getting Colder
  • Church Street Blues
  • Cold on the Shoulder
  • Shenandonah
  • Freeborn Man
  • Where the Soul of Man Never Dies (duet with Ricky Skaggs)
  • Tipper
  • Blue Railroad Train
  • Old Home Place
  • Nine Pound Hammer
  • Little Sadie

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