One of several related species referred to as bearberry,[3][6] its specific epithetuva-ursi means "grape of the bear" in Latin, similar to the meaning of the generic epithetArctostaphylos (Greek for "bear grapes").
Description
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is a small procumbent woody groundcover shrub growing to 5–30 centimetres (2–12 inches) high.[7]
Wild stands of the species can be dense, with heights rarely taller than 15 cm (6 in). Erect branching twigs emerge from long flexible prostrate stems, which are produced by single roots. The trailing stems will layer, sending out small roots periodically. The finely textured velvety branches are initially white to pale green, becoming smooth and red-brown with maturity.[3] The small solitary three-scaled buds are dark brown.
The leaves are shiny, small, and feel thick and stiff,[7] measuring about 4 cm (1+1⁄2 in) long and 1 cm (1⁄2 in) wide.[8] Their tops are darker green than their undersides.[9] They have rounded tips tapering back to the base, held vertically by a twisted leaf stalk in an alternate arrangement on the stem.[9] The leaves remain green for 1–3 years before falling in autumn, when their colour changes to a reddish-green or purple, pale on the underside.[7]
Terminal clusters of small urn-shaped flowers bloom from May to June. The flowers are white to pink,[9] and bear round, fleshy or mealy, bright red to pink fruits called drupes.[3] The smooth, glossy skinned fruits range from 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch (6 to 13 mm) in diameter. The red fruits[3] persist on the plant into early winter. The fruits are bittersweet when raw, but sweeter when boiled and dried. Each drupe contains 1 to 5 hard seeds, which need to be scarified and stratified prior to germination to reduce the seed coat and break embryo dormancy. There is an average of 40,900 cleaned seeds per pound.[5]
The genus name of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi comes from the Greek words arctos (meaning bear) and staphyle (meaning "bunch of grapes") in reference to the fruits which form grape-like clusters.[3][4][7] In the wild, the fruits are commonly eaten by bears.[7] The specific epithet, uva-ursi, comes from the Latin words uva (meaning grape) and ursus (bear), reflected by the bearberry nickname.[7][13]
The common name, kinnikinnick, is an Algonquin word meaning "smoking mixture".[4][7] Native Americans and early pioneers smoked the dried uva-ursi leaves and bark alone or mixed with other herbs, tobacco or dried dogwood bark in pipes.[7] Numerous common names exist, depending on region, such as mealberry, sandberry, mountain-box, fox-plum, hog-crawberry, and barren myrtle.[4]
Distribution and habitat
The distribution of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is circumpolar, and it is widespread in northern latitudes,[3][11][5] but confined to high altitudes further south:
One review indicated that ingestion of large doses can cause allergic reactions, with nausea and seizures, as a potential emergency condition.[16] Preliminary studies indicate that arbutin may be toxic when ingested in high doses.[17] Uva ursi may cause adverse effects in people with liver or kidney disease, or pregnant and breastfeeding women.[16]
Dried bearberry leaves are the main component in many traditional North American Native smoking mixes,[4][24] known collectively as "kinnikinnick" (Algonquin for "smoking mixture") used especially among western First Nations, often including other herbs and sometimes tobacco.[4][7][16]
Indigenous peoples also used the plant to make yellow dye.[14]
There are several cultivars that are propagated for use as ornamental plants.[4] It is an attractive year-round evergreengroundcover for gardens, and is useful for controlling erosion on hillsides and slopes due to its deep roots.[7] It is tolerant of sun and dry soils, and is thus common groundcover in urban areas, in naturalized areas, and in native plant or rock gardens.[3][7] As the seeds are difficult to germinate they are most often propagated using rooted stems.[25]
^Wells, Philip V. (2000). The Manzanitas of California. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas. p. 13. ISBN978-0-933994-22-5. The name Arctostaphylos is from Greek: arctos = bear, staphylos = bunch of grapes or berries; hence bearberry, pertaining redundantly to A. uva-ursi (Latin: uva = berry, ursi = of the bear).
^Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc. p. 114.
^ abcdefg"Uva ursi". Drugs.com. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^ abc"Arbutin, CID 440936". PubChem, National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
^De Arriba, S. G; Naser, B; Nolte, K. U (2013). "Risk assessment of free hydroquinone derived from Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi folium herbal preparations". International Journal of Toxicology. 32 (6): 442–53. doi:10.1177/1091581813507721. PMID24296864. S2CID24225098.
^Hellson, John C. (1974). Ethnobotany of the Blackfoot Indians. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada. p. 101.
^Sanderson, Helen; Renfrew, Jane M. (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 99. ISBN0415927463.
^Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 497. ISBN0-394-50432-1.
^Moerman, Daniel E. (15 August 1998). "Arctostaphylos uva-ursi". Native American ethnobotany. Timber Press. pp. 87–88. ISBN0-88192-453-9.
^Barr, Claude A. (1983). Jewels of the plains : wild flowers of the Great Plains grasslands and hills. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. pp. 26–27. ISBN0-8166-1127-0.
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