bearberry

Bearberry, or kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), in North Cascades National Park, Washington.

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bearberry, (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), flowering prostrate evergreen shrubs of the heath family (Ericaceae), occurring widely throughout the northern reaches of Europe, Asia, and North America in rocky and sandy woods and in 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.