98 
PLANTS OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 
are borne in the axils of leaves on branches that are 1 to 4 inches 
long. The leaves are rounded or oval and about half an inch long. 
The fruit is a scarlet berry. 
Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ), in the West called Kinnikin- 
nick, is a trailing evergreen shrub which often completely covers the 
ground over a considerable area. The leaves are hard and firm, dis¬ 
tinctly petioled, and about half an inch or more long. The flowers 
are white or pink, and the berries are red. 
Figure 74.—Bearberry or Kinnikinnick. White or pink. Photograph by A. R. 
Sweetser. 
HUCKLEBERRY EAMILY (VACCINIACEAE) 
A small family of shrubs with alternate leaves and small flowers. 
It contains such well-known berry plants as huckleberries, blue¬ 
berries, whortleberries, and cranberries. The parts of the flower are 
attached above the ovary, and the calyx and corolla are both 4- or 5- 
toothed or lobed. The number of stamens is twice that of the corolla 
lobes, and there is one style with a small stigma. The fruit is a 
many-seeded berry. 
Grouse whortleberry (Vactinium scoparium ).—This plant is very 
common throughout the Rocky Mountains. It is usually only a few 
inches high and always less than a foot. The leaves are small, ovate 
or oval, thin, toothed, and quite veiny. The fruits are red when they 
are ripe. They are edible but not very good. The flowers are white 
or pink. 
Big whortleberry {Vactinium membranaceum ) grows 1 to 3 feet 
high and the leaves are oblong or ovate. The corolla is yellowish 
