alpine bearberry
Arctostaphylos alpina · Ericaceae
alpine bearberry (Arctostaphylos alpina) is a perennial shrub in the Ericaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 1 and warmer, down to about -62°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 0.5 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 4.5–7.7 USDA |
| Bloom | March–April USDA |
| Flower color | Yellow USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 1 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. Its drought tolerance is rated none — it needs reliable moisture. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 4.5 to 7.7 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 1.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 0.5 ft, making it a low, mat-forming plant. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of March through April. Flowers are yellow.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is yellow-green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 12 to 197 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 120 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, container stock and sprigs. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated medium, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as rhizomatous.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Arctostaphylos
- hairy manzanita Arctostaphylos columbiana
- bigberry manzanita Arctostaphylos glauca
- whiteleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita
- pinemat manzanita Arctostaphylos nevadensis
Similar role and hardiness
- mountain alder Alnus viridis
- Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia
- American red raspberry Rubus idaeus
- russet buffaloberry Shepherdia canadensis
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol ARAL2, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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