Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Bear-grape · Bearberry · Bearberry Manzanita · Kinnikinnick
About the plant
What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.
The plant
- Habit
- Ground Cover, Perennial, ShrubExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Habit
- subshrubPlants of the World Online
- Height
- 0.5-1 ft15-30 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Spread
- 3-6 ft0.9-1.8 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Flower
- Pink, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Blooms
- SpringExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Native range
- Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Aleutian Is., Amur, Arizona and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy
- Hardiness zones
- 3-7Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Growing conditions
- Sun
- Dappled Sunlight; Full sun; Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Soil
- Sand, Shallow RockyExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH
- Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Moisture
- Good Drainage, Occasionally Dry, Occasionally WetExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Watering
- Drought tolerance: HighPLANTS Database
Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.
Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS.
Worth knowing
- Both halves of the name mean bear's grape, once in Greek and once in Latin, and bears do eat the berries. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
- Kinnikinnick, an Algonquin word for tobacco substitutes, is most often used for this plant, which First Nations smoked before tobacco reached them. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
- The only Arctostaphylos found outside North America: it ranges across northern Eurasia too. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Protocol
DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996Difficulty Very high
Warm moist stratification
Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C
Cold moist stratification
Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C
about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2; time not stated, 21 days assumed.
2% germination.
How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.
Germination trials
Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials
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