Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

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Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Arctostaphylos
Species:
A. uva-ursi
Binomial name
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
(
Spreng.
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Arbutus acerba Gilib. (1782)
    • Arbutus buxifolia Stokes (1812)
    • Arbutus officinalis Boiss. (1875)
    • Arbutus procumbens Salisb. (1796)
    • Arbutus uva-ursi L. (1753)
    • Arctostaphylos adenotricha (Fernald & J.F.Macbr.) Á.Löve, D.Löve & B.M.Kapoor (1972)
    • Arctostaphylos alpina Payot (1882)
    • Arctostaphylos angustifolia Payot (1882)
    • Arctostaphylos crassifolia (Braun-Blanq.) Rivas Mart. (2011)
    • Arctostaphylos officinalis Wimm. & Grab. (1827)
    • Arctostaphylos procumbens Patze, E.Mey. & Elkan (1849)
    • Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. adenotricha (Fernald & J.F.Macbr.) Calder & Roy L.Taylor (1965)
    • Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. coactilis (Fernald & J.F.Macbr.) Á.Löve, D.Löve & B.M.Kapoor (1971)
    • Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. crassifolia Rivas Mart. (1963)
    • Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. crassifolius (Braun-Blanq.) Rivas Mart. ex Torre, Alcaraz & M.B.Crespo (1995)
    • Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. longipilosa Packer & Denford (1974)
    • Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. monoensis Roof (1980)
    • Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. stipitata Packer & Denford (1974)
    • Daphnidostaphylis fendleriana Klotzsch (1851)
    • Mairania uva-ursi (L.) Desv. (1813)
    • Mairrania uva-ursi (L.) Desv. (1813)
    • Uva-ursi buxifolia Gray (1821)
    • Uva-ursi procumbens Moench (1794)
    • Uva-ursi uva-ursi (L.) Cockerell ex Daniels (1911)

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is a plant species of the genus

leaves are evergreen. The flowers are white to pink and the fruit is a red berry
.

One of several related species referred to as

generic epithet Arctostaphylos (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,

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]

Chemistry

The plant contains diverse phytochemicals, including ursolic acid, tannic acid, gallic acid, some essential oils and resin, hydroquinones (mainly arbutin, up to 17%), tannins (up to 15%), phenolic glycosides and flavonoids.[10]

Subspecies

As many as 14 subspecies have been accepted,[11] however as of 2024 they are considered synonyms by major sources such as Plants of the World Online and World Flora Online.[2][12]

Etymology

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

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:

Ecology

It is a

fire-tolerant species and may be a seedbanking species.[3]

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is an

alternate host for spruce broom rust.[14]

Bears and other animals eat the berries.[15]

Conservation

The plant is rare or

endangered in several states of the Midwestern United States.[5]

Toxicity

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]

The leaves contain arbutin,

liver toxin.[17][18]

Uses

Bearberry fruits and leaves are used by members of the

jelly.[14] The berries were used as seasoning and cooked with meat.[21] The young leaves can be made into tea.[8]
Teas and
sexually transmitted diseases,[23][citation needed] as of 2017, there was no high-quality evidence from clinical research that such treatments are effective or safe.[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]

Native Americans 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 evergreen groundcover 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]

References

  1. ^ NatureServe (2023). "Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Bearberry". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng; E-Flora: Electronic atlas of the flora of British Columbia; In: Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor)". E-Flora BC, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia Herbarium. 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Common bearberry". Alberta Plant Watch, Government of Alberta. 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  5. ^ a b c d "Plant fact sheet: Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)" (PDF). USDA NRCS Northeast Plant Materials Program. 31 January 2002.
  6. ISBN 0-9665463-1-8
    .
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Arctostaphylos uva-ursi; 'Massachusetts'". Missouri Botanical Garden. 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  8. ^
    OCLC 277203364.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  9. ^
    ISBN 0521232902
    .
  10. S2CID 37247418
    .
  11. ^ a b "Plants profile for Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick)". USDA Plants. 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  12. ^ "Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng". World Flora Online. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  13. ISBN 978-0-933994-22-5
    . 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).
  14. ^ a b c Patterson, Patricia A. (1985). Field Guide to the Forest Plants of Northern Idaho (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. pp. 37–47.
  15. ^ Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc. p. 114.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g "Uva ursi". Drugs.com. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  17. ^ a b c "Arbutin, CID 440936". PubChem, National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  18. S2CID 24225098
    .
  19. ^ Hellson, John C. (1974). Ethnobotany of the Blackfoot Indians. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada. p. 101.
  20. OCLC 668195076
    .
  21. ISBN 0415927463
    .
  22. ISBN 0-394-50432-1
    .
  23. ISBN 0-394-73127-1
    .
  24. ISBN 0-88192-453-9
    .
  25. ISBN 0-8166-1127-0
    .

External links

Look up la, ursus, or ursī in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up la or ūva in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arctostaphylos uva-ursi.
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