Arctostaphylos columbiana and A. uva-ursi – Hairy Manzanita and Bearberry
Next to each other are these two members of the heather family. Hairy Manzanita can get up to 10’ and more, displaying the wonderful polished red-brown bark whereas Bearberry stays low and is much used as an evergreen groundcover. Both bear edible small orange to red berries that were used in making pemmican, an early lightweight back-pack food used by native Americans across North America. The berries were pounded into either salmon or elk/deer flesh and dried to make a proteinaceous food.

Arctostaphylos columbiana – Hairy Manzanita

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi – Bearberry