bearberry

not listed

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

not listed

UPL - Obligate upland

UPL - Obligate upland

UPL - Obligate upland

Bearberry is a low growing, woody, evergreen shrub. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North America. In Minnesota it is fairly common in the north, uncommon in the central, metro, and southeast regions, and absent from the southwest region. It is found in open areas of forests, sand dunes, old fields, and urban areas. It grows in dry sites under full sun on acidic rocky soil and on sand.

Bearberry is a perennial shrub that rises from woody roots. The stem is branched, is up to 40″ (1 m) long, and lies flat on the ground with only the tip ascending (decumbent). The branches are erect or curve up from the base (ascending). Where the stem and branches touch the ground it forms roots and often creates a new plant (layering). This is the plant’s primary means of reproduction. It often forms mats up to 40″ (1 m) wide that are clones of a single plant.

Young stems and branches are erect and 2″ to 8″ (5 to 20 cm) tall. They are whitish-green to red or brown, round in cross section, and hairy. The hairs may be long, short, glandular, non-glandular, or a combination of these. Older stems are woody and covered with brown bark that eventually peels or flakes. After two or three years the branches become decumbent and may root and produce a new plant where they touch the ground.

The leaves are alternate and evergreen, lasting up to two years. They are on 1⁄16″ to ⅛″ (2 to 4 mm) long leaf stalks. The leaf blades are thick, leathery, inversely lance-shaped or inversely egg-shaped (widest toward the tip), ⅜″ to 1″ (10 to 25 mm) long, and 3⁄16″ to ⅝″ (5 to1 5 mm) wide. They are wedge shaped at the base and rounded at the tip. They do not partly surround (clasp) the stem at the base. The upper surface is dark green, shiny, and hairless. The lower surface is medium green, dull, and usually hairless, sometimes sparsely hairy. The margins are untoothed. The leaves turn bright red in the fall.

The inflorescence is a short, congested, usually unbranched cluster (raceme) of 2 to 15 flowers at the end of the previous year’s twigs. Sometimes the cluster has one branch. Each flower droops downward on a hairless, 1⁄16″ to ⅛″ (2 to 4 mm) long stalk (pedicel).

The flowers are urn shaped and about ¼″ long. There are 5 outer floral leaves (sepals), 5 petals, 10 stamens, and 1 style. The sepals are light green to red, egg-shaped, and 1⁄32″ to 1⁄16″ (1 to 1.5 mm) long. The petals are mostly white, pinkish toward the tip. They are fused into an ⅛″ to ¼″ (4.5 to 6.5 mm) long, urn-shaped tube, then separated at the tip into 5 rounded, less than 1⁄32″ (1.0 mm) long lobes. The stamens and the style do not project beyond the tube.

The fruit is a red, hairless, globe-shaped, ¼″ to ½″ (6 to 12 mm) in diameter drupe with 5 nutlets. It is edible but dry, mealy, and tasteless.

2″ to 8″

White

Dry. Open areas of forests, sand dunes, old fields, and urban areas. Full or partial sun. Acidic rocky soil or sand.

Early May to early June

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 24, 28, 29, 30.

Native

Common

Many subspecies and varieties of bearberry have been described based on the on the length of hairs and the presence or absence of glandular hairs on young twigs. Recent analysis shows these differences to be environmentally produced. No subspecies or varieties are currently recognized.

Location: Cass County