OregonFlora: Vaccinium uliginosum vs. Vaccinium macrocarpon

	Vaccinium uliginosum	Vaccinium macrocarpon
	bog bilberry, bog blueberry	cranberry
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 evergreen, 3–15 dm; stems vine-like, trailing, sometimes ascending; twigs slender, round in cross section to angled, light red to brown, often peeling, glabrous to minutely puberulent; not rhizomatous.
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.	ovate to elliptic, 5–18 × 2–7 mm, lightly glaucous abaxially, green to dark green adaxially; stiff; margins entire; tips rounded to subacute; surfaces abaxially glaucous, adaxially glabrous.
Inflorescences	racemes, 2–4-flowered, occasionally 1-flowered.	solitary flowers in axils; bracts 1–2 mm wide.
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; calyces shallowly lobed, deltate, red, glaucous; petals 4, 5–12 mm, glabrous; whitish pink to pink; lobes deeply parted; filaments 25–33% as long as anthers, pubescent.
Fruits	4–9 mm in diameter, blue to bluish black, with a faint bloom.	7–15 mm in diameter, pink to red, with or without a bloom.
2n	=24, 48, 72.	=24.

	Vaccinium uliginosum	Vaccinium macrocarpon
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[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.	Wet coastal habitats. Flowering May–Jul. 0–50 m. Est. WA; north to British Columbia, eastern North America; Europe. Exotic. Native to eastern North America, Vaccinium macrocarpon has escaped cultivation and naturalized elsewhere. This species appears closely related to V. oxycoccos. Whether these species will hybridize in the wild remains to be investigated.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 642 Stephen Meyers	Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 640 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. caespitosum, V. corymbosum, V. deliciosum, 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: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, 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

Vaccinium macrocarpon

bog bilberry, bog blueberry

cranberry

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 evergreen, 3–15 dm; stems vine-like, trailing, sometimes ascending; twigs slender, round in cross section to angled, light red to brown, often peeling, glabrous to minutely puberulent; not rhizomatous.

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.

ovate to elliptic, 5–18 × 2–7 mm, lightly glaucous abaxially, green to dark green adaxially; stiff;

margins entire;

tips rounded to subacute;

surfaces abaxially glaucous, adaxially glabrous.

Inflorescences

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

solitary flowers in axils;

bracts 1–2 mm wide.

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;

calyces shallowly lobed, deltate, red, glaucous;

petals 4, 5–12 mm, glabrous; whitish pink to pink;

lobes deeply parted;

filaments 25–33% as long as anthers, pubescent.

Fruits

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

7–15 mm in diameter, pink to red, with or without a bloom.

=24, 48, 72.

=24.

Vaccinium uliginosum

Vaccinium macrocarpon

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[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.

Wet coastal habitats. Flowering May–Jul. 0–50 m. Est. WA; north to British Columbia, eastern North America; Europe. Exotic.

Native to eastern North America, Vaccinium macrocarpon has escaped cultivation and naturalized elsewhere. This species appears closely related to V. oxycoccos. Whether these species will hybridize in the wild remains to be investigated.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 642
Stephen Meyers

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 640
Stephen Meyers

Sibling taxa