Red Bearberrry
- Iñupiaq name: Aŋurvak or Aŋurvat
- Family: Ericaceae
- Scientific name: Arctous rubra
- Distinguishing characteristics: Woody shrub 2-4 inches tall. Green leaves are thin and leathery with slightly serrated edges. Leaves turn red in the fall. Flowers are white to greenish white and bell-shaped. Berries are red.
- Similar species: Red bearberry can be frequently confused with black bearberry, as their leaves look almost identical. To tell them apart, just look at the berries! Black beaberry plants produce black berries, while red bearberry plants produce red berries. Bearberry can also be confused with blueberry, kinnikinnick, lingonberry, and sometimes the poisonous bog rosemary because of their similar flowers. To distinguish them all, check out their growth form: bearberry is a very low growing, almost creeping shrub with leaves that turn red in the fall, while blueberry and bog rosemary are taller and more classically "shrub-like"
- Habitat: Dry tundra and rocky areas.
- Best time to harvest: Fall
- Uses: Berries typically made into jam. Berries also traditionally used to remedy kidney or bladder problems. Leaves can be used as herbal medicine.
Photo by Veli Pohjonen, University of Helsinki
Photo by Shaleen Humphreys
Photo by Stephan Pietzko