Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Family: Ericaceae

What it is like

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is an evergreen Shrub growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to July, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.1

Where it is found

Dry open woods, often on gravelly or sandy soils. It is also found on sand dunes along the coast and is also found on limestone in the European Alps.

Britain. Northern N. America. N. Europe. N. Asia.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

Arctic, Alaska, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Canada, Central America, Estonia, Europe, Finland, Guatemala, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mongolia, North America, Russia, Slovenia, Scandinavia, Spain, St. Pierre and Miquelon (France), Tasmania, Turkey, Ukraine, USA. UK (RHS).

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Fruit - raw or cooked. Insipid, dry and mealy, it becomes sweeter when cooked. Added to stews etc, it is a good source of carbohydrates. The fruit can also be cooked and eaten. They are used for preserves or made into jelly, marmalade, sauces and pastes. The ripe fruit can be soaked in water or butter to reduce the dryness. Plants are best harvested after the first frost which sweetens them. They can be left to lie all winter under the snow.. The fruit can also be used to make a cooling drink or used for preserves etc. It can be dried and stored for later use. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter. A tea is made from the dried leaves.

Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.

Medicine

Rating: 4

Bearberry was commonly used by many native North American Indian tribes to treat a wide range of complaints and has also been used in conventional herbal medicine for hundreds of years, it is one of the best natural urinary antiseptics. The leaves contain hydroquinones and are strongly antibacterial, especially against certain organisms associated with urinary infections. The plant should be used with caution, however, because hydroquinones are also toxic. The leaves are antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, lithontripic, hypnotic and tonic. The dried leaves are used in the treatment of a variety of complaints. These leaves should be harvested in early autumn, only green leaves being selected, and then dried in gentle heat. A tea made from the dried leaves is much used for kidney and bladder complaints and inflammations of the urinary tract such as acute and chronic cystitis and urethritis, but it should be used with caution and preferably only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. The tea is more effective if the urine is alkaline, thus it is best used in combination with a vegetable-based diet. Externally, a poultice of the infused leaves with oil has been used as a salve to treat rashes, skin sores etc, and as a wash for a baby's head. An infusion of the leaves has been used as an eyewash, a mouthwash for cankers and sore gums and as a poultice for back pains, rheumatism, burns etc. The dried leaves have been used for smoking as an alternative to tobacco. One report says that it is unclear whether this was for medicinal purposes or for the intoxicated state it could produce, whilst another says that the leaves were smoked to treat headaches and also as a narcotic. The herb should not be prescribed to children, pregnant women or patients with kidney disease. Another report says that some native North American Indian tribes used an infusion of the stems, combined with blueberry stems (Vaccinium spp) to prevent miscarriage without causing harm to the baby, and to speed a woman's recovery after the birth. Other uses: fluid retention and bed wetting. Claimed to strengthen the heart muscle and urinary tract and to return the womb to its normal size after childbirth . Treatment should be short (seven days) and used with an alkaline diet . Not recommended for children under 12.

Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Birthing aid: Used in facilitating birth, but not just to cause uterine contrctions.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Hypnotic: Induces sleep.

Kidney: Used in the treatment of kidney diseases

Lithontripic: Removes stones from the kidney, bladder etc.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Urinary: Treats urinary problems, including urinary tract infection (UTI).

Women's complaints: A very vague title, it deals with a miscellany of problems peculiar to the female sex.

Other

Rating: 4

A yellowish-brown dye is obtained from the leaves, it does not require a mordant. A grey-brown dye is obtained from the fruit. The dried fruits are used in rattles and as beads on necklaces etc. The leaves are a good source of tannin. The mashed berries can be rubbed on the insides of coiled cedar root baskets in order to waterproof them. A good ground-cover for steep sandy banks in a sunny position or in light shade. A carpeting plant, growing fairly fast and carpeting as it spreads. It is valuable for checking soil erosion on watersheds. This is also a pioneer plant in the wild, often being the first plant to colonize burnt-over areas, especially on poor soils. There are a number of named varieties developed for their ornamental interest.

Beads: Used as necklaces etc.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Pioneer: Plants, usually trees and shrubs, that can be used to reforest land.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.

Waterproofing: Does what it says. See also Pitch and Oil.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Ground cover: Ground Cover

How it is grown

Requires a deep moist well-drained light or medium lime-free loam in sun or semi-shade. One report says that this species succeeds in alkaline soils (a rather surprising comment considering the general needs of the genus - it is more likely that the plant can grow on limestone so long as the soil remains acid). Shade tolerant but plants produce less fruit when they are grown in the shade. Prefers a cool damp position. A very ornamental plant, it is sometimes cultivated for its medicinal uses. There are a number of named varieties developed for their ornamental interest. The form 'Massachusetts' is an especially prostrate, free-flowering and free-fruiting form. 'Anchor Bay', 'Point Reyes' and 'Vulcan's Peak' have all been mentioned as good groundcover forms. This is one of the first plants to colonize bare and rocky ground and burnt over areas. It is often an indicator of poor soils in the wild. Plants resent root disturbance and should be placed in their final positions as soon as possible. Hybridizes with other members of this genus, especially A. columbiana. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 6 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. An evergreen. A clumping mat former. Forming a dense prostrate carpet spreading indefinitely. The root pattern is flat with shallow roots forming a plate near the soil surface.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Pre-soak dried seed in boiling water for 10 - 20 seconds or burn some straw on top of them and then stratify at 2 - 5°c for 2 months. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 3 months at 15°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer. Cuttings of side shoots of the current season's growth, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August to December in a frame. The cuttings are very slow and can take a year to root. Division in early spring. Take care because the plant resents root disturbance. Pot the divisions up and keep them in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are growing away actively. Layering of long branches in early spring.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Ground Cover;

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 4-8

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: Full shade, semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

This plant is best not used by pregnant women since it can reduce the supply of blood to the foetus. Large doses may lead to nausea and vomiting due to tannin content. Overdoes may result in tinnitus, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, convulsions and collapse .

Its other names

Local names

Bear berry, Kinnikinick, Brawlins, Bear's grape, Creashak, Mountain box, Mealy bearberry, Stoneberry, Mlivnjak, Garrolla, Gayuba, Leesikad, Milicw, Siaphol, Vednozeleni gornik.

Synonyms

A. officinalis. Arbutus uva-ursi. Uva-ursi procumbens. Uva-ursi uva-ursi.