Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
- Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
- Family: Ericaceae
- Common Names: red bearberry, kinnikinnik
- Synonyms/Misapplications: Arbutus uva-ursi
- Codon: ARCUVA
Contents
Taxonomy
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Subkingdom: | Viridiplantae |
| Phylum: | Tracheophyta |
| Subphylum: | Spermatophytina |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Subclass: | Asteranae |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Arctostaphylos Adans. |
| Species: | Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description
Perennial, prostrate shrub with spreading, rooting stolons, leathery evergreen leaves, urn-shaped flowers becoming red berries.[2] Stems with reddish bark, sparsely hairy.[3] Leaves oblanceolate to spatulate, alternate, shiny above. Inflorescences racemous, pendant.[4] Flowers 5-merous, white to pinkish; corolla fused, urn shaped; stamens 10, hairy basally, awned, dehiscent by terminal pore;[5] ovary superior, becoming bright red berries.[2]
Bloom Period
April - June[2]
Distribution
Alaska south to California and New Mexico, east to the Atlantic Coast; also in Eurasia.[2]
Habitat
Prairies and dry meadows, dry coniferous forests, coastal bluffs.[2] Medium and coarse, nitrogen poor soils.[6]
Uses
Use by many First Nations as a smoke plant, food source, diuretic, for kidney treatment and as jewelry.[7]
Propagation
Native Plant Network Propagation Protocol
Seed
Seed sample from: 2009
Average Measurement: 3.9 x 2.3 x 1.8
Measurement Range: L: 3.75 - 4, W: 2.1 - 2.5, D: 1.5 - 2.25
Features
Shape: Fruits segmented with seeds like an orange. Individual seeds are orange segment shaped.
Color: Seeds brown. Hilum is a small brown dot on the ridge where the two flat planes of the segment come together.
Surface: Seed mostly smooth. Rounded surface of seed is ridged. It has a slight sheen on the flat planes.
Latitudinal Cross Section: triangular 
Longitudinal Cross Section: elliptical 
Basic Explanations and Assumptions:
The dimensions for the seeds are length x width x depth. The location of the hilum is used as the base of the seed, and the length is measured from hilum to the opposite apex. Where a style is present, the length is measured from the hilum to the bottom of the style. Width is measured at a right angle to the length at the widest part. Depth is measured at a right angle to the intersection of height and width lines.
Measurements included are the mean average for each measurement of ten separate seeds.
All measurements in millimeters unless otherwise noted.
Photo Gallery
Photo: Bernard Kovalchik
References
- ↑ Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=23530
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 WTU Herbarium, Burke Museum, & University of Washington. Retrieved from http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Arctostaphylos%20uva-ursi
- ↑ Flora of North America. Retrieved from http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Arctostaphylos_uva-ursi
- ↑ Jepson Herbarium Online Flora. Retrieved from https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=13990
- ↑ Hitchcock, C. L., Cronquist, A., Giblin, D., & Legler, B. et al. (2018). Flora of the Pacific Northwest: an illustrated manual. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 402.
- ↑ Klinka et al., 1989
- ↑ Native American Ethnobotany Database. Retrieved from http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=Arctostaphylos+uva-ursi
