OregonFlora: Vaccinium uliginosum vs. Vaccinium

	Vaccinium uliginosum	Vaccinium
	bog bilberry, bog blueberry	bilberry, blueberry, cranberry, huckleberry
Habit	Shrubs deciduous, 0.2–0.7 m, in dense mats; stems round in cross section; twigs round in cross section to angled, green to grayish brown, glabrous to finely puberulent, older twigs slightly peeling; rhizomatous.	Shrubs, subshrubs, or vines evergreen or deciduous.
Stems		erect, ascending, spreading or creeping, glabrous, puberulent or hairy.
Leaves	ovate to elliptic, 9–29 × 4–18 mm; thin or thick at maturity; margins entire; tips rounded to acute; surfaces abaxially glabrous or glaucous, adaxially glabrous.	alternate; simple; margins entire or serrate; plane or revolute; surfaces glabrous to glaucous or puberulent; petioles absent or present.
Inflorescences	racemes, 2–4-flowered, occasionally 1-flowered.	axillary; racemes or solitary, 1–10-flowered; bracteoles present or absent.
Flowers	distinct; sepals 4 or 5, usually glaucous; corollas urceolate, 4–6 × 2–5 mm, white to pink, glaucous; petals 4 or 5; filaments ? anthers, glabrous.	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	4–9 mm in diameter, blue to bluish black, with a faint bloom.	berries; ovoid to globose, red to black; fleshy.
Seeds		2–40.
2n	=24, 48, 72.

	Vaccinium uliginosum	Vaccinium
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[BONAP county map]
Discussion	Wet mid-elevation montane and coastal habitats. Flowering May–Sep. 0–2400 m. BW, Casc, ECas, Est, Sisk. CA, ID, NV, WA; northern US and Canada; Asia, Europe. Native. Some authorities consider the coastal form of V. uliginosum a distinct species (V. occidentale). If recognized, this species would be identified by its distinctly reticulated leaf veins, thin leaves, and smaller fruits.	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 2, page 642 Stephen Meyers	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
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
Synonyms	Vaccinium occidentale, Vaccinium uliginosum ssp. occidentale, Vaccinium uliginosum var. alpinum, Vaccinium uliginosum var. uliginosum
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA 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

bog bilberry, bog blueberry

bilberry, blueberry, cranberry, huckleberry

Habit

Shrubs deciduous, 0.2–0.7 m, in dense mats; stems round in cross section; twigs round in cross section to angled, green to grayish brown, glabrous to finely puberulent, older twigs slightly peeling; rhizomatous.

Shrubs, subshrubs, or vines evergreen or deciduous.

Stems

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

Leaves

ovate to elliptic, 9–29 × 4–18 mm; thin or thick at maturity;

margins entire;

tips rounded to acute;

surfaces abaxially glabrous or glaucous, adaxially glabrous.

alternate; simple;

margins entire or serrate; plane or revolute;

surfaces glabrous to glaucous or puberulent;

petioles absent or present.

Inflorescences

racemes, 2–4-flowered, occasionally 1-flowered.

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

bracteoles present or absent.

Flowers

distinct;

sepals 4 or 5, usually glaucous;

corollas urceolate, 4–6 × 2–5 mm, white to pink, glaucous;

petals 4 or 5;

filaments ? anthers, glabrous.

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

4–9 mm in diameter, blue to bluish black, with a faint bloom.

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

Seeds

2–40.

=24, 48, 72.

Vaccinium uliginosum

Vaccinium

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Wet mid-elevation montane and coastal habitats. Flowering May–Sep. 0–2400 m. BW, Casc, ECas, Est, Sisk. CA, ID, NV, WA; northern US and Canada; Asia, Europe. Native.

Some authorities consider the coastal form of V. uliginosum a distinct species (V. occidentale). If recognized, this species would be identified by its distinctly reticulated leaf veins, thin leaves, and smaller fruits.

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 2, page 642
Stephen Meyers

Flora of Oregon, volume 1

Sibling taxa