OregonFlora: Vaccinium hirsutum vs. Vaccinium parvifolium

	Vaccinium hirsutum	Vaccinium parvifolium
		red huckleberry
Habit		Shrubs deciduous to semi-evergreen, 10–50 dm, erect; stems sharply angled; twigs sharply angled, green to brown, glabrous to minutely puberulent; not rhizomatous.
Leaves		ovate to oblong-elliptic, 10–30 × 4–18 mm; thin; margins usually entire, rarely minutely serrate; tips usually rounded or sometimes acute; surfaces abaxially glabrous to somewhat puberulent, adaxially glabrous but sometimes minutely puberulent along midrib.
Inflorescences		solitary flowers in axils.
Flowers		sepals 5; calyx lobes green, glabrous; petals 5; corollas globose to urceolate, 4–6 × 3–5 mm; greenish yellow to pink, glaucous; filaments ? anthers, glabrous.
Fruits		6–10 mm in diameter, red, with a faint bloom.
2n		=24.

	Vaccinium hirsutum	Vaccinium parvifolium
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion		Coniferous forests, often on decaying wood. Flowering Mar–Jul. 0–1600 m. Casc, CR, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, WA; north to AK. Native. Some old, semi-evergreen leaves of V. parvifolium may be minutely serrate and shiny, while most leaves are entire and dull. Thus, when using the above key, care must be taken to examine younger leaves for proper identification.
Source		Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 641 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. myrtillus, V. ovalifolium, V. ovatum, V. oxycoccos, V. scoparium, V. uliginosum
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 parvifolium

red huckleberry

Habit

Shrubs deciduous to semi-evergreen, 10–50 dm, erect; stems sharply angled; twigs sharply angled, green to brown, glabrous to minutely puberulent; not rhizomatous.

Leaves

ovate to oblong-elliptic, 10–30 × 4–18 mm; thin;

margins usually entire, rarely minutely serrate;

tips usually rounded or sometimes acute;

surfaces abaxially glabrous to somewhat puberulent, adaxially glabrous but sometimes minutely puberulent along midrib.

Inflorescences

solitary flowers in axils.

Flowers

sepals 5;

calyx lobes green, glabrous;

petals 5;

corollas globose to urceolate, 4–6 × 3–5 mm; greenish yellow to pink, glaucous;

filaments ? anthers, glabrous.

Fruits

6–10 mm in diameter, red, with a faint bloom.

=24.

Vaccinium hirsutum

Vaccinium parvifolium

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Coniferous forests, often on decaying wood. Flowering Mar–Jul. 0–1600 m. Casc, CR, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, WA; north to AK. Native.

Some old, semi-evergreen leaves of V. parvifolium may be minutely serrate and shiny, while most leaves are entire and dull. Thus, when using the above key, care must be taken to examine younger leaves for proper identification.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 641
Stephen Meyers

Sibling taxa