OregonFlora: Vaccinium hirsutum vs. Vaccinium scoparium

	Vaccinium hirsutum	Vaccinium scoparium
		grouseberry, grouse whortleberry
Habit		Shrubs deciduous, up to 4 dm; branching habit crowded, giving a “broom-like” appearance; twigs strongly angled, green to yellowish green, glabrous; rhizomatous.
Leaves		elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 7–15 × 4–14 mm, light green abaxially, green adaxially; thin; flexible; margins finely serrate from tips to near base, prominently veined; tips acute; surfaces abaxially often glandular, adaxially glabrous.
Inflorescences		solitary flowers in axils.
Flowers		sepals 5; calyces very shallowly lobed, glabrous; petals 5; corollas urceolate to globose, 3–4 × 3–5 mm, pink, glaucous; filaments glabrous.
Fruits		3–6 mm in diameter, bright red to bluish purple; without a bloom.
2n		=24.

	Vaccinium hirsutum	Vaccinium scoparium
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion		Subalpine and alpine meadows, slopes and pine forests. Flowering May–Aug. 1000–2700 m. BR, BW, Casc, CR, ECas, Sisk. CA, ID, NV, WA; northeast to Alberta, east to SD, southeast to NM. Native. See also V. myrtillus.
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. parvifolium, 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 scoparium

grouseberry, grouse whortleberry

Habit

Shrubs deciduous, up to 4 dm; branching habit crowded, giving a “broom-like” appearance; twigs strongly angled, green to yellowish green, glabrous; rhizomatous.

Leaves

elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 7–15 × 4–14 mm, light green abaxially, green adaxially; thin; flexible;

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

tips acute;

surfaces abaxially often glandular, adaxially glabrous.

Inflorescences

solitary flowers in axils.

Flowers

sepals 5;

calyces very shallowly lobed, glabrous;

petals 5;

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

filaments glabrous.

Fruits

3–6 mm in diameter, bright red to bluish purple; without a bloom.

=24.

Vaccinium hirsutum

Vaccinium scoparium

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Subalpine and alpine meadows, slopes and pine forests. Flowering May–Aug. 1000–2700 m. BR, BW, Casc, CR, ECas, Sisk. CA, ID, NV, WA; northeast to Alberta, east to SD, southeast to NM. Native.

See also V. myrtillus.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 641
Stephen Meyers

Sibling taxa