Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, known as kinnikinnick or bear berry, is a slow-growing evergreen native ground cover.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, known as kinnikinnick or bear berry, is a slow-growing evergreen shrub with a prostrate habit that makes an excellent native ground cover and slope stabilizer from sun to part shade. It features reddish-gray, peeling bark and small, lustrous, dark green leaves that turn burgundy in the winter. The urn-shaped white to pinkish flowers are visited by bees and are followed by showy orange-red berries that are eaten by wildlife and were also used by First Nations peoples. Plants are also a larval host for various species of butterflies and moths. In dry, hot habitats kinnikinnick will have an open habit. With better soils and more moisture it will form a dense, weed-suppressing mat.
Common Name: Kinnikinnick
Family: Ericaceae (The Heath Family)
Zone Hardiness: 2-8
Light: Full Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade
Height: 12-24"
Width: 3-5'
Primary Bloom Colour: White/Cream
Secondary Bloom Colour: Pink
Bloom Time: Spring
Foliage Colour: Good Fall Colour, Green
Class: Evergreen
Type: Shrub
Soil Moisture: Dry, Average, Drought Tolerant
Stem Colour: Red
Fragrance: Yes
Berries: Red
Benefits: Bees, Butterflies
Deer Resistant: Yes
BC Native: Yes
Native Habitat: Dry forests, woodlands, sand dunes, exposed, often rocky, outcrops and cliffs from sea level to the lower alpine zones from Alaska and BC east to Newfoundland and south into the US. Also occurs across Eurasia.
Award:
Geographical Origin: North America
