This section is from the book "An Illustrated Flora Of The Northern United States, Canada And The British Possessions Vol2", by Nathaniel Lord Britton, Addison Brown. Also available from Amazon: An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 Volume Set..
A low shrub, with shreddy bark, alternate thin deciduous leaves clustered toward the ends of the branches, and small white clustered pedicelled flowers. Calyx 4-5-parted.
Corolla 4-5-toothed, the short teeth spreading or recurved. Stamens 8 or 10, included; anther with 2 recurved dorsal awns. Ovary 4-5-celled; ovules 1 in each cavity. Drupe globose, with 4 or 5 separate 1-seeded nutlets. [Greek, referring to its shining leaves.] A monotypic genus of the arctic zone and high mountain summits.
Fig. 3250
Arbutus alpina L. Sp. Pl. 395. 1753.
Mairania alpina Desv. Journ. Bot. (II) 1: 37, 292. 1813. Arctostaphylos alpina Spreng. Syst. 2: 287. 1825. Arctous alpina Niedenzu, Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 11: 141. 1890.
Tufted or depressed-prostrate; branches 2'-5' high, the twigs glabrous or very nearly so. Leaves obovate, crenu-late, conspicuously reticulate-veined, ciliate at least when young, 1/2 - 1' long, 3"-7" wide; flowers few, appearing from scaly buds before or with the leaves; corolla white, ovoid, constricted at the throat; drupe black (or bright red, according to Macoun), juicy, 3"-5" in diameter.
Summits of the higher mountains of New England; Quebec to Newfoundland, Alaska and British Columbia. Also in northern Europe and Asia. Summer.
 
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