Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Bearberry

Description:

♦ Zones:  2 - 6     Height:  6 - 12"     Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade ♦

The pretty waxy-looking flowers are in small, closely-crowded, drooping clusters, three to fifteen flowers together, at the ends of the branches of the preceding year, appearing in early summer, May - June, before the young leaves. The berry, which ripens in autumn, is about the size of a small currant, very bright red, smooth and glossy, with a tough skin enclosing a mealy pulp, with five one-seeded stones.  The evergreen leaves are of a leathery texture. The upper surface of the leaf is dark, shining green, the veins deeply impressed, the lower side is of a paler green, with the veins prominent and forming a coarse network. The leaves have no distinctive odor, but they have a very astringent and somewhat bitter taste.

USDA Hardiness Zone: