Burke: Vaccinium ovatum

	Vaccinium ovatum
	evergreen huckleberry
Habit	Evergreen, spreading to upright shrub, 0.5-4 m. tall, the young stems pubescent.
Leaves	Leaves alternate, aligned horizontally along the stem, short-petiolate, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, leathery, bright gloss-green on the upper surface, lighter beneath, the margins thickened and sharply serrulate.
Flowers	Flowers axillary in 3- to 10-flowered racemes; corolla entire, bright pinkish, narrowly bell-shaped, about 7.5 mm. long, the 5 lobes short and spreading; filaments densely pubescent; anthers with long, straight pore-bearing tubes but without awns; ovary inferior.
Fruits	Fruit a berry, deep purplish-black, 4-7 mm. broad, glaucous or shining.

	Vaccinium ovatum
Identification notes	Our only Vaccinium species with leathery, evergreen leaves and flowers in recemes.
Flowering time	April-August
Habitat	Coniferous forests at low elevations.
Distribution	Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	V. cespitosum, V. corymbosum, V. deliciosum, V. macrocarpon, V. membranaceum, V. myrtilloides, V. myrtillus, V. ovalifolium, V. oxycoccos, V. parvifolium, V. scoparium, V. uliginosum
Web links	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 ovatum

evergreen huckleberry

Habit

Evergreen, spreading to upright shrub, 0.5-4 m. tall, the young stems pubescent.

Leaves

Leaves alternate, aligned horizontally along the stem, short-petiolate, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, leathery, bright gloss-green on the upper surface, lighter beneath, the margins thickened and sharply serrulate.

Flowers

Flowers axillary in 3- to 10-flowered racemes;

corolla entire, bright pinkish, narrowly bell-shaped, about 7.5 mm. long, the 5 lobes short and spreading;

filaments densely pubescent;

anthers with long, straight pore-bearing tubes but without awns;

ovary inferior.

Fruits

Fruit a berry, deep purplish-black, 4-7 mm. broad, glaucous or shining.