Comarostaphylis longifolia (Bentham) Klotzsch, Linnaea 24: 75.  1851. Arctostaphylos longifolia Bentham, Pl. hartw. 44.  1840.  Illustration:  Diggs (1995), fig. 14.  Type.  Mexico.  Michoacán:  Angangueo, 1839[?], Hartweg 338 (holotype: K, photo, Diggs neg. 20;  isotypes: CGE(2), G, L, LE, NY, photo, NY neg. 9760, P, W(3)).
    Comarostaphylos attenuata Klotzsch, Linnaea 24: 75.  1851.  Arctostaphylos attenuata (Klotzsch) Hemsley, Biol. cent.-amer., Bot. 2: 278.  1881.  Type.  Mexico: Ehrenberg s.n.  The holotype at B was destroyed and no other material is known.  The overall description, but particularly the emphasis on glandular trichomes, indicates C. longifolia.  However, the leaf size indicated in the description seems rather small for this species.  Because the lack of type material makes identification uncertain, lectotypification has been deferred.
        Erect evergreen shrubs to small trees 1-8(-15) m tall, to 3 dm in diam., often many stems from a common base;  bark peeling or shredding, orange-brown on young branches to brown or grayish-brown on main stems;  young twigs densely long hirsute, the trichomes stalked, swollen-headed, glandular, to nearly 4 mm long.  Leaves coriaceous, lance-elliptic to elliptic to oblong-ovate, plane to slightly revolute, 4.5-19.9 x 1.1-7.5 cm, basally cuneate, apically (obtuse-) acute (-acuminate), marginally serrate-dentate, sometimes coarsely so, upper surface pubescent, often with glandular trichomes, becoming less so with age, lower surface tomentulose to densely tomentose, with scattered glandular trichomes, especially along the midrib;  petioles 6-18 mm long, densely long glandular hirsute as on young twigs.  Inflorescences paniculate, often much-branched, 5.1-20.9 cm long, densely flowered, viscid due to extremely dense glandular pubescence, branches subtended by often elongate leaf-like bracts;  rachis, pedicels, bracts, bracteoles, and calyx glandular hirsute;  floral bracts linear-lanceolate to lance-ovate, plane to slightly navicular or carinate, 0.5-2.4 x to 0.4 cm, acuminate, ciliate;  pedicels 4-12 mm long;  bracteoles basal to submedial, lanceolate, 3-7 mm long.  Flowers:  calyx lobes triangular to long-triangular, 2.8-3.3 x 1.8-2.5 mm, acute to acuminate, ciliate, green to pink or red;  corollas 6-9 x 4-6 mm, glabrous to pubescent, greenish-white, white, light yellow or cream, the lobes 1.1-1.7 x 2.1-2.5 mm:  stamens 3.2-4.2 mm long;  filaments 2.8-3.9 mm long, densely villous;  anthers 1.2-1.6 x 0.6-1 mm, the spurs 0.6-1 mm long;  ovary glabrous to villous;  style 3.1-4.6 mm long, glabrous.  Fruit red when immature, dark purple to black at maturity, 5-7 mm in diam.;  seeds 2.2-2.7 x 1.1-1.4 mm, surface reticulate.

        Distribution.  Endemic to Mexico, to the higher slopes of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt from W Mexico (state) through Guerrero, Michoacán, and Jalisco, W as far as Nevado de Colima, in Quercus-Pinus, Pinus, and Abies religiosa forests, at elevations of (1700-)2200-2900 m.  Flowering (Feb-)Mar-Nov(-Dec):  fruiting Nov-Jun.