Broadleaf List

ARCTIC BEARBERRY

MOUNTAIN BEARBERRY, BLACK BEARBERRY, ALPINE BEARBERRY

Arctostaphylos alpinus

Heather Family [Ericaceae]

Flowers:

Berries:

(edible, but with many seeds)

category

status

flower
inner
morph
petals
type
stem
stem
rarity
sex

26th May 2018, Ben Hee, North West Highlands, Scotland

Photo: © Cis Brook

Not usually daring to peek much more than 2 inches above ground level on the high windswept mountains of scotland; but in sheltered places can grow up 60cm - but not usually vertically, more a sprawl along the ground usually in the direction of the prevailing wind (or gale).

The flowers are white, extended bell-shaped with a white (sometimes pinkish, as here) corolla folded over a little to form a rim. The sepals are green.

26th May 2018, Ben Hee, North West Highlands, Scotland

Photo: © Cis Brook

The flowers are, at just 3 to 5mm long, smaller than the 5 to 8mm of Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi). The leaves, in being toothed on the edges, differ from those of Bearberry which has untoothed leaves. Any red areas are added protection from any unremitting sunshine.

2nd Sept 2009, Hoy, Scotland.

Photo: © Derek Mayes

Growing on high windswept and rugged moorland. Seemingly 'hides' in the nook of small stones, affording little protection.

2nd Sept 2009, Hoy, Scotland.

Photo: © Derek Mayes

Leaves are deciduous, robust & glossy leathery and net-veined. Main stem in this example is woody and thick, indicating great longevity.

7th July 2009, Hoy, Scotland.

Photo: © Derek Mayes

The leaves are curled backwards, the stems reddened and the berries un-ripe.

2nd Sept 2009, Hoy, Scotland.

Photo: © Derek Mayes

Berries sparse and red at first.

2nd Sept 2009, Hoy, Scotland.

Leaves dark-green and deeply veined. Berry blackens when ripe and has red dimpled crater.

2nd Sept 2009, Hoy, Scotland.

The red dimpled crater of the black berries. The leaves are bullate, meaning the surface gas raised 'blisters' between the veins. They are more raised than their non-arctic relatives Bearberry which have less prominent 'blisters'.

2nd Sept 2009, Hoy, Scotland.

Leaves turn red in autumn (or as protection from strong un-remitting sunlight) before being shed.

Related to : Bearberry, but Bearberry has a red berry whereas Alpine Bearberry has a black berry.

Not to be confused with : Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) which is in the Berberidaceae family which are much taller plants which grows over much of the UK and occurs much lower down (rather than than on top of a cold, windswept, high mountain in Scotland).

An undershrub confined mostly to the higher windswept sparsely-vegetated stony moorland North and North-West of Scotland. Not found in England, Wales or Ireland. The badge of the Ross Clan.

The berries are edible when ripe.

Arctostaphylos

alpinus

⇐ Global Aspect ⇒

Ericaceae

Distribution
family8Heather family8Ericaceae
BSBI maps

Arctostaphylos
(Bearberries)