Plant · P-917

Uva Ursi

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Uva ursi is a low evergreen shrub that forms a dense, ground-hugging mat of leathery leaves, turning bronze to reddish-purple in winter and studded with bright red berries that persist into the cold months. Bears, deer, elk, moose and gamebirds all depend on those berries and the winter browse, and the leaves have a long medicinal history treating urinary tract infections. It spreads by rooting stolons rather than by seed or running rhizome, so it fills in slowly on sandy, well-drained ground and is easy to keep within a cut edge once established - but it resents having its roots disturbed and rarely survives being transplanted from the wild. Hot, humid summers and any soil that holds water are what kill it; winter cold is not a problem even into the Arctic.