OregonFlora: Vaccinium myrsinites vs. Vaccinium

	Vaccinium myrsinites	Vaccinium
		bilberry, blueberry, cranberry, huckleberry
Habit		Shrubs, subshrubs, or vines evergreen or deciduous.
Stems		erect, ascending, spreading or creeping, glabrous, puberulent or hairy.
Leaves		alternate; simple; margins entire or serrate; plane or revolute; surfaces glabrous to glaucous or puberulent; petioles absent or present.
Inflorescences		axillary; racemes or solitary, 1–10-flowered; bracteoles present or absent.
Flowers		sepals 4–5, 67% to fully fused; corollas globose to urceolate; petals 4–5, 67% to fully fused, white to red; stamens 8–10, included; filaments flat; straight, glabrous or hairy; anthers awned or awnless, dehiscent by pores; ovaries inferior; styles usually surpassing stamens.
Fruits		berries; ovoid to globose, red to black; fleshy.
Seeds		2–40.

	Vaccinium myrsinites	Vaccinium
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[BONAP county map]
Discussion		Temperate areas and tropical mountains in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. ~450 species; 11 species treated in Flora. Many Vaccinium keys rely, often heavily, on fruit characters. This unfortunately relegates the observer to identifying plants during one, often short, life stage. Furthermore, most herbarium specimens are lacking fruits. As such, presented here is a key based almost entirely on vegetative characters. Vaccinium corymbosum (high-bush blueberry), a popular cultivar, has been reported to have escaped and established a small population in Eugene (Lane County). If persisting or found elsewhere, the species is distinguished from our other Vaccinium by a combination of its tall growth habit (1–5 m), large leaves (15–70 × 10–25 mm) and fruits with a bloom.
Source		Flora of Oregon, volume 1
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
Subordinate 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
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: 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 myrsinites

Vaccinium

bilberry, blueberry, cranberry, huckleberry

Habit

Shrubs, subshrubs, or vines evergreen or deciduous.

Stems

erect, ascending, spreading or creeping, glabrous, puberulent or hairy.

Leaves

alternate; simple;

margins entire or serrate; plane or revolute;

surfaces glabrous to glaucous or puberulent;

petioles absent or present.

Inflorescences

axillary; racemes or solitary, 1–10-flowered;

bracteoles present or absent.

Flowers

sepals 4–5, 67% to fully fused;

corollas globose to urceolate;

petals 4–5, 67% to fully fused, white to red;

stamens 8–10, included;

filaments flat; straight, glabrous or hairy;

anthers awned or awnless, dehiscent by pores;

ovaries inferior;

styles usually surpassing stamens.

Fruits

berries; ovoid to globose, red to black; fleshy.

Seeds

2–40.

Vaccinium myrsinites

Vaccinium

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Temperate areas and tropical mountains in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. ~450 species; 11 species treated in Flora.

Many Vaccinium keys rely, often heavily, on fruit characters. This unfortunately relegates the observer to identifying plants during one, often short, life stage. Furthermore, most herbarium specimens are lacking fruits. As such, presented here is a key based almost entirely on vegetative characters. Vaccinium corymbosum (high-bush blueberry), a popular cultivar, has been reported to have escaped and established a small population in Eugene (Lane County). If persisting or found elsewhere, the species is distinguished from our other Vaccinium by a combination of its tall growth habit (1–5 m), large leaves (15–70 × 10–25 mm) and fruits with a bloom.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1

Sibling taxa