0085 



BEARBERRY. 



Family: ERICACEAE. 



Reproductive system: DECANDRY, MONOGYNY. 



The bearberry, Arbutus uva ursi, Linn. [Translator 's note: the modern scientific 

 name is Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Spreng.] is a small tree covered with pretty red fruit that 

 I located in the Basses-Alpes in June 1813. Its stem lies practically on the ground, 

 furnished with sparse leaves that are entire, ovate, and wider near their tips. The flowers 

 grow in small, white, slightly purplish clusters at the ends of the branches. There are ten 

 stamens with smooth anthers. The ovary turns into a beautiful red berry when ripe. It has 

 five compartments that contain five seeds. 



FLOWERS: March and April. 



RANGE: The Alps, the Pyrenees, the Vosges, and the Jura. 



NOMENCLATURE. German, die barentraube, mehlheere. Danish, meelboer - riis. 

 English, the bear berry. Polish, borowka. Hungarian, medver szolo. Colloquial French, la 

 bousserole, la buxerole, le raisin d'ours, I 'arbousier trainant [Translator's note: bear's 

 grape (uva ursi), trailing arbutus]. 



USES. The tree's red fruit and evergreen foliage add variety to our ornamental 

 gardens. 



Cultivation. It's propagated by planting the seeds in trays as soon as they are 

 ripe or ready. The trays are placed in a southeast exposure until the seeds sprout. When 

 the seedlings are an inch high, 



