OregonFlora: Vaccinium tenellum vs. Vaccinium ovatum

	Vaccinium tenellum	Vaccinium ovatum
		California huckleberry, evergreen huckleberry
Habit		Shrubs evergreen, 4–35 dm, erect; twigs round in cross section, reddish brown to grayish, puberulent; rhizomatous.
Leaves		narrowly ovate, 15–40 × 8–20 mm, light green abaxially, green adaxially; thick; leathery; firm; margins sharply serrate from tips to 67% or near base; tips acute to acuminate; surfaces abaxially sparsely glandular with blackish hairs, adaxially glabrous.
Inflorescences		terminal racemes.
Flowers		sepals 5; calyx lobes fused at base, deltate, red, glaucous; petals 5; corollas campanulate to urceolate, 2.5–7 × 1.5–5 mm, pink, glabrous; filaments pubescent.
Fruits		6–9 mm in diameter, blue to black, sometimes with a bloom.
2n		=24.

	Vaccinium tenellum	Vaccinium ovatum
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion		Coastal and occasionally inland coniferous forests. Flowering Mar–Jun. 0–800 m. CR, Est, Sisk. CA, WA; north to British Columbia, south to Mexico. Native. The distribution of V. ovatum populations is interesting from a biogeographic perspective. In British Columbia, Washington, northern Oregon, and southern California, V. ovatum is generally found within several kilometers of the coast. However, in northern California and Mexico, populations are found up to 50 kilometers inland and in southern Oregon up to 100 kilometers inland.
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. oxycoccos, V. parvifolium, V. scoparium, V. uliginosum
Synonyms		Vaccinium ovatum var. saporosum
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 tenellum

Vaccinium ovatum

California huckleberry, evergreen huckleberry

Habit

Shrubs evergreen, 4–35 dm, erect; twigs round in cross section, reddish brown to grayish, puberulent; rhizomatous.

Leaves

narrowly ovate, 15–40 × 8–20 mm, light green abaxially, green adaxially; thick; leathery; firm;

margins sharply serrate from tips to 67% or near base;

tips acute to acuminate;

surfaces abaxially sparsely glandular with blackish hairs, adaxially glabrous.

Inflorescences

terminal racemes.

Flowers

sepals 5;

calyx lobes fused at base, deltate, red, glaucous;

petals 5;

corollas campanulate to urceolate, 2.5–7 × 1.5–5 mm, pink, glabrous;

filaments pubescent.

Fruits

6–9 mm in diameter, blue to black, sometimes with a bloom.

=24.

Vaccinium tenellum

Vaccinium ovatum

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Coastal and occasionally inland coniferous forests. Flowering Mar–Jun. 0–800 m. CR, Est, Sisk. CA, WA; north to British Columbia, south to Mexico. Native.

The distribution of V. ovatum populations is interesting from a biogeographic perspective. In British Columbia, Washington, northern Oregon, and southern California, V. ovatum is generally found within several kilometers of the coast. However, in northern California and Mexico, populations are found up to 50 kilometers inland and in southern Oregon up to 100 kilometers inland.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 641
Stephen Meyers

Sibling taxa