Is this Kinnikinnick ?

[pitdog]

 

[jca21]

Sure looks like the stuff.

~

Kinnikinnick a.k.a. Common Bearberry [Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

General: Trailing, evergreen, the ascending tips usually not over 20cm tall, often forming mats with long, flexible rooting branches; bark brownish-red.

Leaves: Alternatve, leathery, oval- to spoon-shaped, entire, to 3cm long; dark-green and somewhat shiny above, paler beneath.

Flowers: Pinkish-white, small (about 5 mm long), urn-shaped, drooping; several in a few-flowered terminal cluster.

Fruits: Bright-red berries like miniature apples, 7-10 mm wide; edible but with mealy and rather tasteless pulp, and large, very hard seeds. Fruit ripen late and stay on plants into the winter.

Ecology: Sandy and well-drained exposed sites, dry rocky slopes, dry forest and clearings; common and widespread, from low elevations to alpine tundra.

Notes:
-Grows from Oregon all the way up the coast to Alaska.
-Leaves used as a diuretic to treat kidney diseases and infections of the urinary passage [by the Haida]
-Dried leaves were smoked by coastal first nations

[Source: Plants of Coastal British Columbia: including Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Pojar and Mackinnon]
~

for future reference it'd make identification easier if you brought a small plastic ruler along and measured the leaves and berry sizes. also if you could provide detailed shots of the leaves to look for characteristics that aid in identification.

i'd say i'm 95% sure that you've got Kinikinnick there

 

[dawsonbob]

Looks like it to me, too. Around here it's called Manzanita, but I believe it's the same plant. Has a number of uses, and the wood sure is pretty.

 

[jca21]

Warning: Too many bearberries can cause constipation. Bearberry is rich in tannin and arbutin. Extended use (e.g. for more than 3 days) causes stomach and liver problems (especially in children). Bearberry should not be used by pregnant women. It can stimulate uterine contractions and reduce permeability of the placenta-uterine membrane.

Medicinal uses: Commonly used in medicinal teas to treat urinary tract infections. The bearberry has an antiseptic quality and effect on the urinary tract. Has a mild vaso-constricting effect on the uterus and may help to relieve menstrual cramps. Can also treat kidney and bladder problems, lower back pain, bronchitis, diarrhea, gonorrhea and bleeding. Can be used in sitz baths and washes to reduce inflammation and infection.

[Source: Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Mackinnon et al.]

 

[jca21]

Here's a comparison photo of identified Kinninnick.

Hope that helps pit.

Cheers,

JC

 

[jca21]

Preparation of Kinninnick:

Smoking: Gather leaves in summer as they are mildest at this time. dry in sun or near fire, crumble and light up.

Tea: The Dried leaves also can be steeped to make a medicinal tea. Good for indigestion.

Snack: The berries raw taste fairly bland, however, cooked they become palatable with cream and sugar. Useful survival food.

Related edible species: alpine bearberry [A. alpina] and Manzanitas.

Poisonous look-alikes: None

[Source: Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide. Elias and Dykeman.]

 

[The Government]

This plant looks very similar to wintergreen

I think wintergreen has leaves that are a little more jagged and sometimes pointy. The berries on wintergreen might have a different shape on the bottom too.

Here is a googled picture of wintergreen:

 

[jca21]

This plant looks very similar to wintergreen

I think wintergreen has leaves that are a little more jagged and sometimes pointy. The berries on wintergreen might have a different shape on the bottom too.

Here is a googled picture of wintergreen:

I dont think it is wintergreen. The species of wintergreen which grow on the west coast dont look like the one you've got picture (the one in the picture looks more like the wintergreen which grows on the east coast). There are 6 species of wintergreen in BC and they tend to grow in individual clusters rather than carpet the ground like the picture that pit posted. However, there is a resemblance between the two.

 

[dawsonbob]

This plant looks very similar to wintergreen

I think wintergreen has leaves that are a little more jagged and sometimes pointy. The berries on wintergreen might have a different shape on the bottom too.

Here is a googled picture of wintergreen:

Both the leaves and berries of what you've posted are different, The Government, and as jca21 pointed out, Kinnikinnick (Manzanita) tends to grow in large clumps. Also, the berries on Manzanita are fairly small, I'd say around 3/16ths to 1/4 of an inch in diameter.

 

[jca21]

forgot to add that one of the nice things about these berries is that they can be found through out winter i believe.

 

[dfarmerknives]

That is used in the smoking blend kinnikinnik. cool find...

bear berry
red willow
tobaccco
yerba santa
rasberry

 

[jca21]

That is used in the smoking blend kinnikinnik. cool find...

yep, first nations and frontiersman would mix the dried leaves from kinnikinnik to make their supply of tobacco last a little longer

 

[Bushman5]

maaaaan i would LOVE some kinikinikinikinik for my pipes......., haven't fond any locally.....

 

[Bushman5]

Warning: Too many bearberries can cause constipation. Bearberry is rich in tannin and arbutin. Extended use (e.g. for more than 3 days) causes stomach and liver problems (especially in children). Bearberry should not be used by pregnant women. It can stimulate uterine contractions and reduce permeability of the placenta-uterine membrane.

Medicinal uses: Commonly used in medicinal teas to treat urinary tract infections. The bearberry has an antiseptic quality and effect on the urinary tract. Has a mild vaso-constricting effect on the uterus and may help to relieve menstrual cramps. Can also treat kidney and bladder problems, lower back pain, bronchitis, diarrhea, gonorrhea and bleeding. Can be used in sitz baths and washes to reduce inflammation and infection.

[Source: Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Mackinnon et al.]

i wonder if the cranberry is related to bearbeary

 

[jca21]

i wonder if the cranberry is related to bearbeary

nope. its related species are the manzanita, alpine bearberry and red bearberry.

kinnikinnick a.k.a common bearberry is part of the Arctostaphylos family. Cranberries are Vaccinium and Oxycoccus family.

 

[Bushman5]

I found a pocketfull of the kinikinininkinik yesterday on my hike. dried it when i got home and crushed it into my pipe. man that smokes mellow and cool, very fragrant aroma, no tongue bite.


Going to have to stock up for winter

 

[dawsonbob]

I found a pocketfull of the kinikinininkinik yesterday on my hike. dried it when i got home and crushed it into my pipe. man that smokes mellow and cool, very fragrant aroma, no tongue bite.


Going to have to stock up for winter

:thumbup: I've done it myself just to see how well it worked, and it worked surprisingly well. The berries are useful, too.

 

[jca21]

they grow all year round so you should mark that spot on a map and continue to come back to it to harvest.

a dehyradator can help in the drying of leaves for smoking

 

[paleojoe]

We have A. uva-ursi (lit: 'bear-berry') and other varieties here, but call them Manzanitas. Tasty edible berries. Native California tribes would make tasty ciders out of them. I've processed the berries through manual meat grinders as the inner pit-nuts can be tough. The mash is a tasty, incredible treat you can do all kinds of things with! I recommend trying! The tastiest variety I like is the Ashyleaf Manzanita! Abundant in the Sierras! Mmmmm :thumbup:

Wasn't used as much for smoking, here was more cleveland sage, mugwort, mullein, coyote tobacco, yerba santa, etc. stuffed in elderberry tube, with maybe a yucca filter! I'm gonna try some in my pipe!

 

[Bushman5]

i'll give it a try. I didn't find any with berries though, well, there was one dried up one,.....