About Manzanita

Manzanita is famous for its whimsical, curving branch shapes and vibrant red bark - but this marvelous shrub has much more to offer. 

With its dense heartwood - which clocks in at 2350 lbf on the Janka Hardness Scale, akin to mesquite wood - Manzanita is a fantastic material for items such as bird perches that are subject to a lot of wear and abuse. This durability also makes it a great choice for use in aquariums and vivariums, since it is slow to degrade and can hold up well in damp or aquatic environments. As an added bonus, manzanita has relatively few tannins compared to many other woods, and is also able to self-sink once it is fully saturated. 

Given these characteristics, manzanita is a popular wood among pet owners - and it even has a strong following in the wedding decor industry! Manzanita offers more than just twisted branch clusters - take a look at a few of the less-appreciated kinds of manzanita growth: