bearberry

/bair"ber'ee, -beuh ree/, n., pl. bearberries.

1. any of several prostrate shrubs belonging to the genus Arctostaphylos, of the heath family, esp. A. uva-ursi, having tonic, astringent leaves and bright-red berries.

2. cascara.

3. possum haw (def. 1).

4. any of several other plants, as some species of cranberry.

[1615-25; BEAR² + BERRY]

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Flowering, prostrate, evergreen shrub (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) of the heath family, growing widely throughout North America in rocky and sandy woods and open areas.

It has woody stems that are often 5–6 ft (1.5–1.8 m) long. Roots develop from stem joints, and the plant spreads, forming a broad, massive ground cover. The foliage turns bronzy in winter. The white, pink, or pink-tipped flowers are shaped like a narrow-mouthed bell. The berries are red.

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▪ plant

also called  kinnikinnick 

 (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), flowering, prostrate, evergreen shrubs, of the heath family (Ericaceae), occurring widely throughout North America in rocky and sandy woods and open areas. It has woody stems that are often 1.5–1.8 metres (5–6 feet) long. Roots develop from the stem, and the plant spreads, forming a broad, massive ground cover. The foliage turns bronzy in winter. The leaf margins are rolled and fringed with hairs. The flowers, which open early in the spring, may be white, pink, or pink-tipped in colour; the flowers are in the shape of a narrow-mouthed bell and are borne in small clusters at the ends of the twigs. The berries are red.

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