Montane to alpine. Woodlands, openings. Summer.
Above: Ryman Creek Trail, June 17, 2015.
Left: Vallecito Creek Trail, June 2, 2016 and Ryman Creek Trail, June 16, 2010.

As shown in the above photographs, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi spreads from prostrate stolon-like woody branches into extensive or small mats. Stems rise 6-12 centimeters with leaves dark green above, lighter green below.  Pink-to-white urn-shaped flowers give way to bright red berries.

Although this is a fairly common plant through the Rockies and across the northern tier of states, I don't find it often in the Four Corners region.

In 1753 Linnaeus named this plant Arbutus uva-ursi from collections made in Canada.  In 1825 Sprengel renamed the plant Arctostaphylos uva-ursi. 

"Arcto" is Greek for "bear" and "staphylos" is Greek for "a bunch of grapes". Latin gives us "Uva" for "grape" or "berry" and "ursi" for "bear". Thus we have "the bear berry, bear berry".

"Kinnikinnick is [according to the Missouri Botanic Garden] an Algonquin word meaning smoking mixture. Native Americans and later early pioneers sometimes smoked the dried leaves of bearberry (alone or mixed with other leaves, tobacco, and/or the dry inner bark of red osier dogwood) in pipes."

Meriwether Lewis collected Arctostaphylos uva-ursi on the Lewis and Clark Expedition and had this to say about it on the collection sheet, "An evergreen plant which grows in the open plains usually. the natives smoke it's leaves, mixed with tobacco. Called by the French "Engages Sacacommis".-obtained at Fort Mandan".

Montane to alpine. Woodlands, openings. Summer.
Ryman Creek Trail, June 16, 2010.

Berries are 6-11 millimeters in diameter and ripen to bright red.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Arctostaphylos uva-ursi