Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) (Linnaeus, 1753) |
Synonyms:Arbutus uva-ursi, Arctostaphylosuva-ursi |
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi occurs throughout temperate Eurasia and North America, including Greenland; isolated population in Guatemala. It grows in sandy or rocky soils in pine and deciduous forests, burnt or cutover areas, alvars, and dunes at 0-3,100 m. A low deciduous shrub up to 0.5 m in height; prostrate, mat-forming. Leaves are oblanceolate to elliptic, with entire margins. Flowers have white to pink corolla; arranged in racemes. Fruit is red drupe. A. uva-ursi flowers in late spring-early summer.