Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Massachusetts’ (Bearberry)

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Massachusetts’

Bearberry

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	From Latin uva, “grape,” and ursi, “bear”—I guess bears really like these berries!
Cultivar	‘Massachusetts’	“From Massachusetts”

About plant names...

Bearberry is a hardy low-growing evergreen shrub that does not exceed 6" (15 cm) in height. “Uva-ursi” means “bear’s grape”: bearberry is favored by bears and many birds. This species is a cultivar of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.

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 ‘Massachusetts’ at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi at Botanical.com

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

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

8/1/2009 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine
≈ 12 × 8" (30 × 20 cm)

Range: Zones 2-6:

About this map...