The leaves are greenish gray in color and sometimes slightly woolly.

Arctostaphylos silvicola grows in coniferous forest and chaparral on inland marine sands.

[3] Silverleaf is listed as "fairly endangered" by the California Native Plant Society.

[3] The main threats to the species are habitat loss through sand mining and development.

A portion of the habitat is protected by the Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve.