Trailing, evergreen, forms dense ground-covering mats. Leaves alternate, oval, deep green and leathery. Flowers (small, ~5mm) are pink-white and urn-shaped, as are other members of Ericaceae. Berries are small, red, 7-10mm wide, edible but mealy, and seedy. Berries remain on the plant until, and sometimes through winter. (Mackinnon & Pojar, 1994) Range is northern circumpolar. (Crane, 1991)
Kinnikinnick prefers exposed sites, rocky slopes, and dry forest, and are important pioneers in glacial and volcanic soil. (Mathews, 2021) It is prevalent in the area and is important grazing for bighorn sheep, mountain goat, black-tailed deer, white-tailed deer, elk, and moose. The mealy berry of the kinnikinnick stays ripe on the plant through winter, providing a crucial food source for animals, including songbirds, gamebirds, grouse, deer, elk, wild turkey, small mammals, and bears when many other berries and seeds are gone. The reliance on kinnikinnick by bears during early spring has earned it the nickname of 'bearberry'. (Crane, 1991)
Kinnikinnick is best-known as a dried smoking herb that was used by indigenous tribes across North America as a substitute/addition to tobacco for ceremonial uses, and it was smoked locally by the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, Haida, Nuxalk, Tsimshian, and Kwakwaka'wakw, among others. ‘Kinnikinnick’ is an Eastern, likely Alglonquian, term that means “smoking herbs”. There is little evidence of kinnikinnick being smoked by Pacific Northwest peoples before contact with Hudson’s Bay Company and Western settlers. The leaves also have medicinal properties and are used in the treatment of urinary tract infections and kidney disease by the Haida. (Mackinnon & Pojar, 1994) The fruit was considered starvation fare and not considered palatable by tribes in our area, but kinnikinnick berries were mixed with grease, preserved in oil, and whipped with snow to make a winter ice cream-like delicacy and often served as a food source in winter (Lloyd & Chambers, 2014) or an ingredient in pemmican (Crane, 1991)
Kinnikinnick has been medicinally used by numerous people including early Romans, indigenous Americans, and settlers. Leaves are harvested in the fall for medicinal purposes including powdered leaves applied to sores, astringent washes, and uterine vasoconstrictors. (Crane, 1991)
Kinnikinnick is a good ground cover along roadways, sandy banks, rock walls, parking lots, and sunny/urban areas. It tolerates harsh summer conditions and dry heat and is useful for erosion control and revegetation projects
The berry-laden branches are often used in Christmas decorations, and the shrubs are sold in nurseries. In Scandinavia, kinnikinnick is used in commercial leather tanning, and in Poland, the leaves are still used medicinally. (Crane, 1991)
Lloyd, T.A., and Hamersley Chambers, F. (2014). Wild berries of Washington and Oregon. Lone Pine Publishing International.
MacKinnon, A., & Pojar, J. (1994). Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska. Lone Pine Publishing : Partners Publishing : B.C. Ministry of Forests.
Mathews, D. (2021). Cascadia revealed: A guide to the plants, Animals & Geology of the Pacific Northwest Mountains. Timber Press, Inc.
