Real bearberry

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Real bearberry
Real bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) in the French Pyrenees

Real bearberry ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ) in the French Pyrenees

Systematics
Asterids
Order : Heather-like (Ericales)
Family : Heather family (Ericaceae)
Subfamily : Arbutoideae
Genre : Bearberry ( Arctostaphylos )
Type : Real bearberry
Scientific name
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
( L. ) Explos.

The real or evergreen bearberry ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ) is a species of the heather family (Ericaceae). It is widespread in the northern hemisphere in North America and Eurasia and is used, for example, as a medicinal plant.

description

Illustration from Franz Eugen Köhler: Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen , Gera 1887: “ Bear grape. A flowering plant, nat. Size; B fruit branch, the like; 1 flower, enlarged; 2 the same in longitudinal section, the like; 3 same without crown, the like; 4 stamens, the like; 5 pollen, the like; 6 stamps, the like; 7 ovaries in cross section, the same; 8 fruit, the like; 9 the same in cross section, the like; 10 u. 11 stone core, from different sides, the like; 12 the same in longitudinal section, the same. "
Inflorescence with some lighter, jug-shaped flowers: the reticulate leaf veins on the underside of the leaf can also be seen.
Inflorescences with some darker, jug-shaped flowers; The glossy, dark green upper side of the leaf is also recognizable.
Fruits from different perspectives
Habit , leaves and ripe stone fruits

Appearance and leaf

The real bearberry grows as an evergreen , prostrate shrub , also called espalier shrub, and reaches heights of 5 to 10 centimeters, up to 50 centimeters. With its ascending branches, which reach lengths of 20 to 50 centimeters, it forms mats. The bark of the branches has, depending on the population of a very variable hairiness (indûment, trichomes ), usually it is sparse short, sometimes long haired or long-glandular, sometimes with different types of hair on a copy.

The alternate leaves arranged on the branches are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. In the lower area of ​​the branches, the leaves stand individually in the upper area, they overlap. The leaves are initially hairy and later glabrous. The petiole is 2 to 4 millimeters long. The rough, simple leaf blade is flat and, with a length of 1 to 3 centimeters and a width of 0.5 to 1.5 centimeters, mostly obverse-lanceolate or obovate, sometimes narrow-elliptical with a wedge-shaped base. The leaf surfaces can be smooth, sparsely hairy or balding. The light-green or gray-green underside of the leaf is network-veined and not dotted with glands. The upper side of the leaf is dark green and shiny. The smooth edge of the stretcher is not rolled over.

Inflorescence and flower

The flowering period begins at the end of first spring and lasts from March to June. The overhanging, simple or simply-branched, racemose inflorescence contains three to ten flowers. The inflorescence axis has a length of 0.3 to 1 centimeter and a diameter of over 1 millimeter and is usually sparsely short, sometimes long or hairy with short glands. The bare, non-adjacent bracts are 2 to 6 millimeters in length longer than the buds, scale-like, narrow-triangular with a pointed upper end. The bare flower stalk is 2 to 4 millimeters long.

The hermaphroditic flowers are radial symmetry and five-fold with a double flower envelope . The five free sepals are durable. The five white to pink to reddish, 5 to 6 millimeters long petals are fused over almost their entire length. The corolla is jug-shaped with five turned-back corolla lobes. There are two circles with five free stamens each. The anthers have two bent back, thread-like appendages and open at the top with pores. The scar is heady. The upper ovary is bare.

Fruit and seeds

The berry-like drupes , which ripen in August to October and then become scarlet-red, are spherical with a diameter of 6 to 8 millimeters. The drupes, which are floury on the inside, contain five to seven separate stone pits.

Chromosome number

The chromosome number is x = 13. There is diploidy with 2n = 26 or tetraploidy with 2n = 52.

ecology

The real bearberry is a dwarf shrub, i.e. woody chamaephyte . The branches grow horizontally and can rarely take root. The real bearberry has roots up to 1 m deep and has a mycorrhiza of the Ericaceous type. In this frost-hardy plant, the annual cycle of frost hardness is achieved by adjusting the osmotic values and by protecting the snow cover. The lifespan of a specimen is 100 to 120 years.

From an ecological point of view , it is a question of the male "bluebells with scattering device". Hair on the thickened stamen base and on the inner wall of the crown serve to protect the nectar . Spiky, rough, easily movable tails on the opening anthers encourage the pollen to be spread . The pollination is done by bees , in addition also is self-pollination possible.

There is Endochorie (digestive spread) by birds instead. The stone fruits are winter dwellers . The seeds are cold germs.

Habitus in the habitat

Occurrence

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is one of three species of the approximately 66 Arctostaphylos species that occur outside of North America. It is very widespread circumpolar in the northern hemisphere in North America as well as Guatemala and Eurasia . Locations are for Iceland , Finland , Norway , Sweden , Denmark (including Greenland ), the United Kingdom , Ireland , the Netherlands , Germany , Austria , Switzerland , Italy , France , Spain , Poland , the Czech Republic , Slovakia, Slovenia , Croatia , Serbia , Bulgaria , Romania , Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Belarus , the Baltic Republics, the European part of Russia, Ukraine , Ciscaucasia, Siberia , Russia's Far East , all Canadian provinces and territories , the US states Alaska , Connecticut, northern Indiana, Maine , Massachusetts , Michigan , New Hampshire, New Jersey , New York, northern Ohio , northern Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont , northern Illinois , Iowa , Minnesota , North Dakota , western South Dakota , Wisconsin, Colorado, Idaho , Montana , Oregon , Washington, Wyoming , Delaware , Virginia, New Mexico, Arizona , California , Nevada , Utah and Guatemala are given.

In the total distribution area, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi thrives at altitudes from 0 to 3100 meters. In Europe, the real bearberry grows particularly in mountains, for example the Alps and Central Uplands, in southern and southeastern Europe it is limited to the higher mountain ranges, in northern Europe it also thrives at lower altitudes. In the Allgäu Alps, it rises in the Tyrolean part on the summit of the Jöchelspitze up to an altitude of 2200 meters.

The real bearberry prefers dry, sunny dwarf shrub heaths , mountain forests, light pine forests and protected rock niches. It thrives best on acidic, lime-deficient and nutrient-poor soils . As a slow-growing pioneer species , it colonizes raw soil and rocks after fires and deforestation, for example. It is a type of the pine steppe forests (Pulsatillo-Pinetea), but also occurs in societies of the Erico-Pinetea or the sub-association Rhododendro-Vaccinienion.

Hazard and protection

In Germany the bearberry is considered endangered and is on the Red List of Endangered Species from 1996 (Category 2: endangered). For their protection, the EC regulation (338/97): Appendix D (for the protection of wild animal and plant species), which, for example, restricts import and export.

Usage and ingredients

The real bearberry is grown in many countries around the world.

Real bearberry in the form of the leaf drug (Uvae ursi folium)
Illustration from Otto Wilhelm Thomé: Flora of Germany, Austria and Switzerland

ingredients

The leaves contain arbutin , tannins , flavones and glycosides , among other things . Arbutin in particular, but also tannins, have an antibacterial effect.

pharmacy

The leaves of the real bearberry are dried, whole or cut into the drug and then mostly bearberry leaves, rarely axillary leaves, axillary herb, bear herb, cranberry leaves, sand leaves, stone berry leaves, wolfberry leaves (Folia Uvae-ursi, Uvae ursi folium). A tea is brewed from the dried leaves.

Naturopathy

In folk medicine , the leaves of the real bearberry or preparations made from it are used in particular for urinary tract infections , but also for diarrhea, biliary tract problems and as a contraceptive. There is hardly any evidence of therapeutic effectiveness . Recent studies suggest that the alkalinity of the urine for the release of the antibacterial effective hydroquinone from arbutin plays a smaller role than previously assumed. It should not be taken for more than eight days and not more than five times a year, as the hydroquinone produced from the arbutin is potentially carcinogenic and can also damage the liver . The tannins contained in the leaves can irritate the stomach and lead to constipation if overdosed . It is not recommended for use during pregnancy , breastfeeding or in children under the age of twelve. In an in vitro experiment, an extract from the real bearberry has shown an inhibitory effect against pancreatic lipase in pigs.

food

The stone fruits are eaten raw or cooked. They taste bland, dry and floury when raw, but are sweeter after cooking. They are a good source of carbohydrates. For example, cool drinks can be made. They can be stored dry. The floury fruits can be processed into syrup or jam.

Dyeing and tanning

Due to the high tannin content of the leaves of bearberry were formerly the tanning of leather used. The yellow dye from the leaves does not require the addition of dressing agents. A gray-brown dye can be obtained from the fruit (dye plant ).

Ornamental plant and erosion control

Some varieties are used as frost-hardy ornamental plants , for example in rock gardens or on walls. The bearberry can also be planted on the coast. Bearberry is also planted as protection against erosion, for example in sandy areas.

Diseases of the bearberry

Several species of pathogenic egg fungi of the genus Phytophthora have been detected on the bearberry , including Phytophthora ramorum , Phytophthora cactorum , Phytophthora cinnamomi , Phytophthora citricola , Phytophthora citrophtora and Phytophthora nicotianae .

The two naked basidia Exobasidium sydowianum and Exobasidium uvae-ursi also attack the bearberry . With the former, the leaves first turn red, then red-brown. Exobasidium uvae-ursi attacks the annual shoots, which are blood-red and densely branched.

Systematics

The first publication of this species under the name ( Basionym ) Arbutus uva-ursi took place in 1753 by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum , Volume 1, p. 395. The new combination to Arctostaphylos uva-ursi took place in 1825 by Kurt Sprengel in Systema Vegetabilium , editio decima sexta , 2, p. 287. The specific epithet uva-ursi translates as bearberry.

Other synonyms for Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. are: Arbutus buxifolia Stokes , Arctostaphylos adenotricha (Fernald & JFMacbr.) Á.Löve, D.Löve & BMKapoor , Arctostaphylos coloradensis Rollins , Arctostaphylos nevadensis var. coloradensis (Rollins) HDHarr. , Arctostaphylos officinalis Wimm. & Dig. , Arctostaphylos procumbens E. Mey. , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi fo. adenotricha (Fernald & JFMacbr.) PVWells , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi fo. stipitata (Packer & Denford) PVWells , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. adenotricha (Fernald & JF Macbr.) Calder & Roy L.Taylor , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. coloradensis (Rollins) Roof , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. stipitata Packer & Denford , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. adenotricha Fernald & JF Macbr. , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. Stipitata (Packer & Denford) Dorn , Daphnidostaphylis fendleri Klotzsch , Mairania uva-ursi (L.) Desv. , Uva-ursi buxifolia (Stokes) Gray , uva-ursi procumbens Moench , uva-ursi procumbens var. Adenotricha (Fernald & JFMacbr.) D.Löve , Uva ursi-uva-ursi (L.) Britton , Uva ursi UVA- ursi (L.) Cockerell .

There are at least two subspecies of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi :

  • Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. subsp. uva-ursi
  • Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. coactilis (Fernald & JFMacbr.) Á.Löve & al. , Syn .: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi var. Coactilis Fernald & JFMacbr. , Uva-ursi procumbens var. Coactilis (Fernald & JFMacbr.) Moldenke , Arctostaphylos uva-ursi fo. coactilis (Fernald & JFMacbr.) PVWells : It occurs in Iceland.

Common names

For this species there are also the trivial names , sometimes only regionally : Bärbenerstaude ( Bern ), Bärentraub , Bewell ( Pomerania ), Wilder Buchs ( Bernese Oberland ), Jackaspapuk ( Silesia ), Jakaslapuk (Silesia), whitebeam (this is how many plant species are made called), carrot ( Celle ), cranberry ( Frankfurt (Oder) ) (this is how several plant species are called), Rausch ( Tyrol ), Rauschgranten (Tyrol), sandberry , Soltebeerenbläder ( Rendsburger Apotheke), stone berry and wolfberry .

literature

  • V. Thomas Parker, Michael C. Vasey & Jon E. Keeley: Arctostaphylos : Arctostaphylos uva-ursi , p. 414 - online with the same text as the printed work , In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.): Flora of North America North of Mexico , Volume 8 - Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae , Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, 2009, ISBN 978-0-19-534026-6 (section description and distribution)
  • Xaver Finkenzeller, Jürke Grau: Alpine flowers. Recognize and determine (=  Steinbach's natural guide ). Mosaik, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-576-11482-3 .
  • Wolfgang Adler, Karl Oswald, Raimund Fischer: Excursion flora of Austria . Ed .: Manfred A. Fischer. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart / Vienna 1994, ISBN 3-8001-3461-6 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Real bearberry  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Real Bearberry ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng., Real bearberry. In: FloraWeb.de. last accessed on January 14, 2016
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p V. Thomas Parker, Michael C. Vasey & Jon E. Keeley: Arctostaphylos : Arctostaphylos uva-ursi , p. 414 - online with the same text as the printed work , In : Flora of North America Editorial Committee (Ed.): Flora of North America North of Mexico , Volume 8 - Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae , Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, 2009, ISBN 978-0-19-534026-6
  3. ^ V. Thomas Parker, Michael C. Vasey & Jon E. Keeley: Entry at Jepson eFlora .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common Central European species in portrait . 7th, corrected and enlarged edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1 .
  5. ↑ a b c d Arctostaphylos uva-ursi in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  6. ↑ a b WWF: Medicinal Plants Background information: Real Baerentraub - PDF.
  7. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 2, IHW, Eching 2004, ISBN 3-930167-61-1 , p. 305.
  8. ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp.  731 .
  9. ↑ a b c Bearberry leaves - Uvae Ursi folium - data sheet from pharmakobotanik.de . last accessed on February 26, 2013
  10. ↑ a b c d Arctostaphylos uva-ursi at Plants For A Future . Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  11. ↑ Bearberry - data sheet at A Modern Herbal . last accessed on February 27, 2013
  12. ↑ a b European Medicines Agency , Committee for Herbal Medicinal Products : Assessment report on Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng., Folium , from January 30, 2018. (PDF; 900 kB)
  13. ↑ Eberhard Teuscher: Biogenic Medicines , 6th edition
  14. ↑ Slanc et al. (2009). Screening of Selected Food and Medicinal Plant Extracts for Pancreatic Lipase Inhibition. Phytotherapy Research, 23: 874-877. doi : 10.1002 / ptr.2718
  15. ↑ Dericks-Tan, Vollbrecht: On the trail of wild fruits in Europe , ISBN 978-3-00021129-4 , Abadi-Verlag 2009. p. 40
  16. ↑ a b SPECIES: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi - data sheet of the US Forest Service . last accessed on February 27, 2013
  17. ↑ Gordon Cheers (Ed.): Botanica. The ABC of plants. 10,000 species in text and images . Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft, 2003, ISBN 3-8331-1600-5 , p. 107 .
  18. ^ RG Linderman, EA Davis & JL Marlow: Response of Selected Nursery Crop Plants to Inoculation with Isolates of Phytophthora ramorum and Other Phytophthora Species. In: Hort Technology , Vol. 16, 2006, pp. 188-189: [1]
  19. ↑ Svengunnar Ryman & Ingmar Holmåsen: Mushrooms . Bernhard Thalacker Verlag, Braunschweig 1992, p. 72, ISBN 3-8781-5043-1 .
  20. ↑ First publication scanned at biodiversitylibrary.org .
  21. ^ Arctostaphylos uva-ursi at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed February 26, 2013.
  22. ↑ a b Entry at Euro + Med : B. Valdés with the participation of E. von Raab-Straube, & G. Parolly, 2009: Ericaceae. - In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. last accessed on January 14, 2016
  23. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, page 38, online.