Twigs densely short soft-hairy, eglandular. Immature inflorescence axes densely hairy, eglandular. Pedicels densely hairy, eglandular. Fruits densely hairy, glabrescent, eglandular. 2n = 26.

Flowering early winter-late spring. Chaparral, open forests; 400-1700 m; Calif., Oreg.

Subspecies canescens is widespread in California´s North Coast Ranges and northward into southern Oregon. Disjunct populations occur south to the Monterey, California, area. Hybrids with Arctostaphylos viscida in southern Oregon were named A. cinerea Howell.