OregonFlora species comparison

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Vaccinium hirsutum

Vaccinium myrtillus

whortleberry
Habit Shrubs deciduous, up to 4 dm; branching habit open, rarely weakly “broom-like”; twigs strongly angled, green to greenish brown, sparsely puberulent along grooves, sometimes glabrous; rhizomatous.
Leaves

elliptic to ovate, 11–20(30) × 5–10 mm, light green abaxially, green adaxially; thin; flexible;

margins sharply serrate from tips to near base, prominently veined;

tips acute;

surfaces abaxially glandular, adaxially glabrous.
Inflorescences

solitary flowers in axils.
Flowers

sepals 5;

calyces shallowly lobed, glabrous;

petals 5;

corollas ovoid-urceolate to globose, 3–7 × 4–7 mm, white to pink, glaucous;

filaments glabrous.
Fruits

4–9 mm in diameter, dark red to bluish black; without a bloom.
2n

=24, 48.

Vaccinium hirsutum

Vaccinium myrtillus
Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Wet mid- to high elevation areas. Flowering Apr–Jul. 1100–2100 m. BW, Casc, Sisk. ID, NV, WA; northeast to Alberta and southeast to NM, Greenland; Asia, Europe. Native.

Morphologically, Vaccinium myrtillus is similar to V. scoparium, and at higher elevations their ranges overlap. Vaccinium myrtillus differs from V. scoparium by its generally larger leaves and flowers, often sparsely puberulent twigs, and its broom-like habit.
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. membranaceum, V. ovalifolium, V. ovatum, V. oxycoccos, V. parvifolium, V. scoparium, V. uliginosum
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Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from OregonFlora.



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