bearberry

bear·ber·ry  (bârbr)

n.

Any of certain mat-forming shrubs of the genus Arctostaphylos, especially A. uva-ursi, native to North America and Eurasia, having small leathery leaves, white or pinkish urn-shaped flowers, and red berrylike fruits. Also called kinnikinnick.

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bearberry [ˈbɛəbərɪ]

n pl -ries

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) a trailing evergreen ericaceous shrub, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, with small pinkish-white flowers, red berries, and astringent leaves

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants)

alpine or black bearberry a related species, A. alpina of European mountains, having black berries

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bear•ber•ry (ˈbɛərˌbɛr i, -bə ri)

n., pl. -ries.

any of several prostrate shrubs of the genus Arctostaphylos, of the heath family, esp. A. uva-ursi, having tonic, astringent leaves and bright-red berries.

[1615–25]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	bearberry - shrubby tree of the Pacific coast of the United States; yields cascara sagrada bearwood, cascara buckthorn, chittamwood, chittimwood, Rhamnus purshianus buckthorn - a shrub or shrubby tree of the genus Rhamnus; fruits are source of yellow dyes or pigments cascara, cascara sagrada, chittam bark, chittem bark - dried bark of the cascara buckthorn used as a laxative
	2.	bearberry - deciduous shrub of southeastern and central United States Ilex decidua, possum haw, winterberry holly - any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex having red berries and shiny evergreen leaves with prickly edges
	3.	bearberry - chiefly evergreen subshrubs of northern to Arctic areas Arctostaphylos, genus Arctostaphylos - bearberry; manzanita Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, bear's grape, common bearberry, creashak, hog cranberry, mealberry, mountain box, red bearberry, sand berry, sandberry, wild cranberry - evergreen mat-forming shrub of North America and northern Eurasia having small white flowers and red berries; leaves turn red in autumn alpine bearberry, Arctostaphylos alpina, black bearberry - deciduous creeping shrub bright red in autumn having black or blue-black berries; alpine and circumpolar bush, shrub - a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems