NAT. ORDER. 
Ericece. 
ARBUTUS UVA URSI. BEAR-BERRY. 
Class X. Decandria. Order I. Monogynia. 
Gen. Char. Calyx, five-parted. Corolla, ovate, the mouth pelucid 
at the base. Berry, five-celled. 
Spe. Char. Stalks, procumbent. Leaves, quite entire. 
The root is perennial, long, branched and fibrous ; the stems are 
numerous, procumbent, spreading, woody, scarcely a foot in length, 
and seldom divided into branches ; the leaves are oblong, obtuse, nar- 
rowed towards the base, entire, thick or fleshy, smooth, without foot- 
stalks, of a dull green color, and closely surround the upper part of 
the stalk ; the flowers are whitish or flesh-colored, and terminate the 
stems in small clusters, upon short pedicles ; the calyx is very small 
and divided into five obtuse teeth ; the corolla consists of a single 
petal, which is tubular, oval, contracted, and divided at the margin 
into five minute reflexed segments ; the filaments are ten, short, 
downy, tapering, and crowned with erect reddish anthers ; the ger- 
men is oval, and placed above the insertion of the corolla ; the style 
is tapering, longer than the filaments, and terminated with a simple 
stigma ; the fruit is a pulpy, round, red berry. It flowers in June 
and July. 
The Uva ursi is an evergreen creeping plant, with small oblong, 
oval leaves, resembling very closely those of the common garden 
box. It is indigenous both to Europe and the United States. The 
leaves contain tannin, mucilage, gallic acid, extractive, resin and 
lime. Wherever this plant is found, it is in great abundance, both 
in this country and in Europe, and seeks a barren, sandy soil, and 
Vol. iii. — 71. 
