Native Plant Database

Weyand, Phyllis

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.

Kinnikinnick, Red bearberry, Kinnikinnik

Ericaceae (Heath Family)

USDA Symbol: ARUV

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Red bearberry is a trailing, evergreen shrub with paddle-shaped leaves on flexible branches. The thick, leathery leaves, rolled under at the edges, are yellow-green in spring, dark-green in summer, and reddish-purple in the fall. Nodding clusters of small, bell-shaped, pink or white flowers occur on bright-red stems. Flowers in racemes on short branches. Bright-red berries succeed the flowers and persist into winter. This ground-trailing shrub has the papery, reddish, exfoliating bark typical of woody plants in northern climates. It is frequently seen as a ground cover in sandy areas such as the New Jersey pine barrens. It is very common on Cape Cod, where it covers vast areas in open, sandy, pine-studded communities. Its complete range is the largest of any in its genus, and it is the only Arctostaphylos species to occur outside of North America, ranging across northern Eurasia and across northern North America south to the mountains of Virginia, California, Arizona, and New Mexico, with isolated populations in the mountains of Guatemala in Central America. It is a hardy shrub for landscaping rocky or sandy sites

In Greek arctos is bear and staphyle grape, whereas in Latin uva is a bunch of grapes and ursus is bear. The berries are indeed eaten by bears, as the name redundantly indicates. Kinnikinnick, an Algonquin word for many tobacco substitutes, is most frequently applied to this species, which also had many medicinal uses, including the alleged control of several sexually transmitted diseases. An astringent tea can be made by steeping the dried leaves in boiling water (sometimes used as a laxative). Bearberry is long lived, but grows very slowly. It has no serious disease or insect problems. A similar species found in the Cascade Mountains and Sierra Nevada, Pinemat Manzanita (A. nevadensis), has a tiny sharp point at the tip of the leaf. One other species, Alpine Bearberry (A. alpina), is found on New England mountaintops.

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Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is a larval host and/or nectar source for:

Rocky Mountain clearwing (Hemaris senta) Food Source Learn more at BAMONA	Hoary Elfin (Callophrys polios) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA	Freija Fritillary (Boloria freija) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA	Brown Elfin (Callophrys augustinus) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA
Elf (Microtia elva) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA

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