The bearberry is a dense, low shrub with dark green shiny leaves. It grows in mounds less than one foot tall which can spread considerably, taking root as they travel. The bearberry’s light pink flowers are smaller and less noticeable than its large red berries. Oftentimes flowers and berries will be simultaneously present amongst the bearberry’s lush green leaves.

Also known as kinnikinnick, this plant’s leaves were one of the primary ingredients in smoking mixtures made by the native inhabitants of California. Although no longer widely used as an intoxicant, kinnikinnick is one of the most widely planted shrubby groundcovers in California. It grows well in coastal areas, provided that it has drainage, sun, and irrigation.

Arctostaphylus uva-ursi is native to the central and northern coast of California, and grows abundantly in these locations. It thrives on rocky and sandy outcrops and slopes, and can be found growing wild in chaparral and coniferous forest, usually below 100 m in altitude. Small pockets of it also exist in the Sierra Nevada.