Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.
kinnikinnick (common bearberry; mealberry; sandberry)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
kinnikinnick (common bearberry; mealberry; sandberry)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
© Larry Halverson (Photo ID #57379)
Species Information
General:
Prostrate shrub with somewhat stoloniferous rooting stems, sometimes forming mats several meters wide; bark reddish to brownish, peeling off; stems ascending at the tip, 5-15 cm tall, minutely hairy, sometimes glandular.
Leaves:
Alternate, evergreen, leathery, egg- to spoon-shaped, 1-3 cm long, 0.3-1.2 cm wide, rounded at tip, rarely pointed, narrowed basally, entire, glabrous to minutely hairy especially on the margins and midrib, dark green above, paler below; stalks 2-5 mm long.
Flowers:
Several in few-flowered terminal clusters; flower stalks 2-5 mm long, straight or curved, borne in the axils of hairy bracts; corollas pinkish-white, urn-shaped, 4-6 mm long, 5-lobed; calyces 1-1.5 mm long.
Fruits:
Berries, bright red, 5-10 mm wide.
Notes:
In 1974, Packer and Denford reviewed the classification of infraspecific taxa, found it to be inadequate, and proposed that four subspecies and two varieties be recognized. Two of the subspecies were new taxa, not previously described. The taxa were based on the type of hairiness found on the young branches and stalks, chromosome numbers, and phenolics. All four subspecies occur in BC, but are not geographically distinct. We have, therefore, decided not to recognize these taxa until further work is done on the taxonomy and distribution of these entities in BC.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Purple
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Red
Present from Summer to Fall
According to the USDA, this species is a known allelopath.
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1129 | 6 | 2854 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
23 | 0 | 244 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
192 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
5666 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(42), BAFA(22), BG(17), BWBS(321), CDF(6), CMA(2), CWH(92), ESSF(497), ICH(472), IDF(1759), IMA(10), MH(10), MS(909), PP(190), SBPS(464), SBS(502), SWB(87) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry forests and exposed, often rocky, sites in the lowland to lower alpine zones; common throughout BC; circumboreal, N to AK, E to NF and S to N CA, NM, MN, and VA; Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Arctostaphylos adenotricha (Fernald & J.F. Macbr.) A. Löve & D. Löve & Kapoor
Arctostaphylos nevadensis var. coloradensis (Rollins) Harrington
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. adenotricha (Fernald & J.F. Macbr.) Calder & Roy L. Taylor
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. coactilis (Fernald & J.F. Macbr.) A. Löve & D. Löve
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. coloradensis (Rollins) J.B. Roof
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. longipilosa Packer & Denford
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. monoensis J.B. Roof
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. myrtifolia (Parry) J.B. Roof
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. stipitata Packer & Denford
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. uva-ursi
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. adenotricha Fernald & J.F. Macbr.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. coactilis Fernald & J.F. Macbr.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. leobreweri J.B. Roof
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. marinensis J.B. Roof
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. pacifica Hultén
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. saxicola J.B. Roof
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. stipitata (Packer & Denford) Dorn
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. suborbiculata W. Knight
Uva-Ursi uva-ursi (L.) Britton