OregonFlora: Vaccinium hirsutum vs. Vaccinium membranaceum

	Vaccinium hirsutum	Vaccinium membranaceum
		black huckleberry, thin-leaved huckleberry
Habit		Shrubs deciduous, 5–20 dm; twigs round in cross section to angled, yellow-green to reddish green, thin, flexible, glabrous to puberulent; bark grayish on older branches; not rhizomatous.
Leaves		elliptic to ovate, 30–50 × 10–25 mm, light green abaxially, turning red to purple with age; thin; flexible; margins sharply serrate from tips to near base; tips acute; surfaces abaxially glandular, adaxially glabrous.
Flowers		sepals 5; calyces shallowly lobed; petals 5; corollas shallowly lobed, globose to urceolate, 3–6 × 5–7 mm, white to pink, glaucous; filaments glabrous.
Fruits		6–12 mm in diameter, dark red to black; without a bloom.
2n		=48.

	Vaccinium hirsutum	Vaccinium membranaceum
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion		Mid- to higher elevation coniferous forests (rarely at lower elevations). Flowering Apr–Aug. 1000–2100 m. BW, Casc, CR, Lava, Sisk. CA, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, east to Quebec, southeast to AZ. Native. Renowned for the flavor of its berries, V. membranaceum is one of the most extensively harvested Vaccinium species in the wild. This species bears the state fruit of Idaho.
Source		Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 640 Stephen Meyers
Sibling taxa	V. caespitosum, V. corymbosum, V. deliciosum, V. macrocarpon, V. membranaceum, V. myrtillus, V. ovalifolium, V. ovatum, V. oxycoccos, V. parvifolium, V. scoparium, V. uliginosum	V. caespitosum, V. corymbosum, V. deliciosum, V. macrocarpon, V. myrtillus, V. ovalifolium, V. ovatum, V. oxycoccos, V. parvifolium, V. scoparium, V. uliginosum
Synonyms		Vaccinium coccineum, Vaccinium globulare
Web links	Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Vaccinium hirsutum

Vaccinium membranaceum

black huckleberry, thin-leaved huckleberry

Habit

Shrubs deciduous, 5–20 dm; twigs round in cross section to angled, yellow-green to reddish green, thin, flexible, glabrous to puberulent; bark grayish on older branches; not rhizomatous.

Leaves

elliptic to ovate, 30–50 × 10–25 mm, light green abaxially, turning red to purple with age; thin; flexible;

margins sharply serrate from tips to near base;

tips acute;

surfaces abaxially glandular, adaxially glabrous.

Flowers

sepals 5;

calyces shallowly lobed;

petals 5;

corollas shallowly lobed, globose to urceolate, 3–6 × 5–7 mm, white to pink, glaucous;

filaments glabrous.

Fruits

6–12 mm in diameter, dark red to black; without a bloom.

=48.

Vaccinium hirsutum

Vaccinium membranaceum

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Mid- to higher elevation coniferous forests (rarely at lower elevations). Flowering Apr–Aug. 1000–2100 m. BW, Casc, CR, Lava, Sisk. CA, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, east to Quebec, southeast to AZ. Native.

Renowned for the flavor of its berries, V. membranaceum is one of the most extensively harvested Vaccinium species in the wild. This species bears the state fruit of Idaho.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 640
Stephen Meyers

Sibling taxa