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kinnikinnick

kinnikinnick

1 9.9
A low, spreading evergreen plant with small leaves and red berries
  • noun
  • /ˌkɪnɪˈkɪnɪk/
  • US
: kinnikinnick
  • Wildlife such as birds and bears are attracted to the berries produced by kinnikinnick plants.

Examples

  • The garden was covered in lush kinnikinnick, providing a beautiful groundcover with its small leaves and red berries.

  • Gardeners often choose kinnikinnick for its ability to thrive in poor, rocky soil.

  • The hillside was covered in kinnikinnick, creating a lush green carpet dotted with red berries.

  • The kinnikinnick grows well in rocky soil.

  • I planted some kinnikinnicks along the path.

  • We decided to plant kinnikinnick around the pathway to create a natural, low-growing border.

  • In the rocky terrain, kinnikinnick thrives, showcasing its resilience as an evergreen shrub.

Synonyms

red bearberry
vskinnikinnick
  • UK
9.6

A low evergreen shrub with small white flowers, red berries, and leaves that turn red in autumn

is a general low-growing groundcover shrub that includes that plant
lingberry
vskinnikinnick
9.9

A low green bush that grows in northern forests and has small red berries you can eat

is similar but stresses groundcover use rather than edible fruit

Surface Forms

kinnikinnick singular
kinnikinnicks plural

Etymology

Kinnikinnick comes from an Algonquian Native American word kinnikinik that means 'mixture'. Because the low evergreen bearberry was a main part of those mixes and often grows as a green carpet, the same name came to mean this shrub today.