Arctostaphylos rubra
(Rehder & Wilson) Fernald
Red alpine bearberry
(c) Kitty LaBounty (deceased), some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Kitty LaBounty (deceased), some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Syd Cannings, some rights reserved (CC BY)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit is edible for humans but is not a favored food. It has been utilized by the Gwich'in people and the Inuit.
Where to Find It
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.
Alaska, Arctic, Canada, China, North America, USA,
How to Identify
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.
Wikipedia
Source ↗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.
Names & Synonyms
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
- Tozer, F., 2007, The Uses of Wild Plants. Green Man Publishing. p 33
