Vermont Shrubs and Woody Vines 



153 



BivVKBERRV. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. 



The bearberry is a trailing plant forming close mats on dry, 

 barren or rocky soil. The woody stems, one to two feet long, 

 are slender but rise from a strong central root. The leaves are 

 small, thick, smooth, shining and evergreen. The flowers are 

 small, drooping and white or rose color. 

 The fruit ripens in late summer to a red 

 color and is about the size of a pea. Tt 

 is abundant and, since it persists through 

 the winter with the glossy evergreen 

 leaves, it is a conspicuous and well- 

 marked shrub. The bearberry is common 

 in the north of Europe, and the leaves 

 have there been used from ancient times 

 as a diuretic and astringent tonic. Their 

 abundant tannin content has caused them 

 to be collected in large quantities 

 in Russia, Scandinavia and Iceland 

 for use in tanning the finer leathers. They are also used for 

 brown and black dyes. The North American Indians mixed 

 the leaves with their smoking tobacco, as they did the silky dog- 

 wood, under the name of Kinnikinnik. The berries are dry, 

 mealy and insipid, but are eaten by partridges and other birds 

 in winter. The bearberry is a handsome ornamental shrub for 

 planting in dry rocky situations. 



Red Bearberry, X 



wiNTERGREEN. Gaultkcvia prociDiihens L. 



The creeping wintcrgreen is a common plant in cool damp 

 woods, especially in sandy soil. Tt is familiar to every child 

 where it occurs, and is so easily distinguished by the character- 

 istic spicy, aromatic "wintergreen flavor" of berries and leaves, 

 especially the younger ones, that no description is necessary to 



