Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (bearberry)

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.

Arctostaphylos adenotricha (Fernald & J.F. Macbr.) Á. Löve & D. Löve & Kapoor

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. ssp. coactilis (Fernald & J.F. Macbr.) Á. Löve & D. Löve & Kapoor

Uva-Ursi uva-ursi (L.) Britton nom. inval.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. var. adenotricha Fernald & J.F. Macbr.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. ssp. adenotricha (Fernald & J.F. Macbr.) Calder & Roy L. Taylor

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. var. coactilis Fernald & J.F. Macbr.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. ssp. longipilosa Packer & Denford

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. var. leobreweri J.B. Roof

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. var. marinensis J.B. Roof

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. ssp. monoensis J.B. Roof

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. var. pacifica Hultén

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. ssp. stipitata Packer & Denford

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. var. stipitata (Packer & Denford) Dorn

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. var. suborbiculata W. Knight

Arctostaphylos adenotricha (Fernald & J.F. Macbr.) A. Löve & D. Löve & Kapoor

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. ssp. coactilis (Fernald & J.F. Macbr.) A. Löve & D. Löve & Kapoor

Uva-Ursi uva-ursi (L.) Britton

Bearberry, kinnikinnick

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Ericales	Tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, azalea, many others
Family	Ericaceae	Heath or heather family
Genus	Arctostaphylos	From arkto, “bear,” and staphyle, “grape,” because bears like the berries
Species	uva-ursi	Literally means “bear’s grape” referring to the fruit

About plant names...

Bearberry is a hardy low-growing evergreen shrub that does not exceed six inches in height. “Uva-ursi” means “bear’s grape”: bearberry is favored by bears and many birds. It is native to North America, Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, Siberia, and the Himalayas.

Identification: These plants’ dark green shiny leaves and red, hard berries about ¼" (6.3 mm) in diameter resemble cranberries, but they are not related to them. Bearberry leaves look a little like a shoehorn, wider at one end than at the other, while cranberry leaves are about the same size at both ends and mountain cranberry has sharper tips. Flowers are white, tinged with pink.

Edibility: I couldn’t find toxicity information, but at least one site recommended against eating these berries.^[1]

Online References:

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi at the University of Connecticut Plant Database

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi at Botanical.com

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi on Wikipedia

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi on Blue Planet Biomes

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

¹For a discussion of medical uses, see this Botanical.com article

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 31 × 21" (78 × 52 cm)

Range:

About this map...