Arctostaphylos rubra

(Rehder & Wilson) Fernald

Red alpine bearberry

Ericaceae Edible: Fruit

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Summary

Arctostaphylos rubra is a species of flowering plant in the heath family and the genus Arctostaphylos, the manzanitas and bearberries. Common names include red fruit bearberry, alpine bearberry, arctic bearberry, red manzanita, and ravenberry. It is native to Eurasia and northern North America from Alaska through most of Canada to Greenland. There is also one population in the contiguous United States, located in the Absaroka Range of Wyoming.

Description

A shrub that lies along the ground. It grows 4-20 cm high. The main stems are woody. They are like wire. They are 3-5 mm across. It has many branches. It forms a colony like a mat. The bark is reddish-brown and flaky. The current year's growth is erect and 1-7 cm long. There are 5-7 leaves and ends with a winter bud. It is covered by thick scales. The leaves are alternate and broadly sword shaped. They are 1-5 cm long by 5-15 mm wide. There are teeth along the edge. The flowers are white. They are in groups of 3-6 flowered panicles. The fruit are red and fleshy. They are 9-12 mm across.

Edible Uses

The fruit is edible for humans but is not a favored food. It has been utilized by the Gwich'in people and the Inuit.

Traditional Uses

The fruit can be eaten or made into jam.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows in northern regions in North America and China and also at high altitudes in Yunnan at 3,300-4,000 m altitude.

Where It Grows

Alaska, Arctic, Canada, China, North America, USA,

Synonyms

Arctous ruber (Rehder et Wilson) Nakai

References (6)

Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 39
Holloway, P. S. & Alexander, G., 1990, Ethnobotany of the Fort Yukon Region, Alaska. Economic Botany, Vol. 44, No. 2 pp. 214-225
Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 610
Jones, A., 2010, Plants that we eat. University of Alaska Press. p 134
Porsild, A.E., 1953, Edible Plants of the Arctic, Arctic 6:15-34, p 23

Show all 6 references