Found only in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada, it is the most common Leccinum species in California.

Leccinum manzanitae was first described by the American mycologist Harry Delbert Thiers in 1971, from collections made in San Mateo County, California, the previous year.

The cap's flesh is 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) thick, white when first exposed, but slowly and irregularly changing to dark brownish-gray with no reddish intermediate state.

[1] The tubes comprising the hymenophore are 1–2.5 cm (0.5–1 in) long, with an adnate attachment to the stipe; their color is pale olive when young and darkens when bruised.

It is solid (i.e., not hollow), with a dry surface, and covered with small, stiff, granular projections called scabers.

Spores are 13–17 by 4–5.5 μm, somewhat elliptical to cylindrical, and tapered on each end (fusoid); their walls are smooth and moderately thick.

Caulocystidia (found on the stipe surface) are thin-walled, club-shaped to somewhat fusoid, and sometimes end in a sharp point; they measure 35–45 by 9–14 μm.

[7] Several chemical tests can be used to help confirm the identify of the mushroom: a drop of dilute (3–10%) potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution will turn the tubes pale red whereas nitric acid (HNO3) on the tubes produces orange-yellow; a solution of Iron(II) sulfate (FeSO4) applied to the flesh results in a pale grey color.

[8][9] One field guide advises caution when selecting this species for the table, as there have been poisonings reported with similar-looking mushrooms found in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

[3] The species L. largentii, found in northern regions of the West Coast, has a dry cap with a fibrillose to scaly edge, dark olive pores, and densely arranged scabers on the stipe.