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black huckleberry, crackleberry

blue huckleberry, dangleberry

Habit Plants 3–10(–15) dm, forming small to extensive colonies; branches spreading; twigs of current season pale green, glabrous. Plants 7.5–20 dm, forming small to extensive colonies; branches spreading; twigs of current season pale green, glabrous or glabrate.
Leaves

petiole 1–2(–4) mm;

blade pale green abaxially, green to yellowish green adaxially, ovate to oblong, (2–)2.5–5 × 1–2.5 cm, membranous to subcoriaceous, base cuneate, margins entire, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrous, sometimes puberulent on major veins, sessile-glandular.

petiole 2–3 mm;

blade greenish white, glaucescent abaxially, green to yellowish green, dull green adaxially, ovate to oblong, 2.5–5(–6) × 2–3 cm, subcoriaceous, base cuneate, margins entire, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces short-hairy (hairs white) or glabrous, sessile-glandular abaxially.

Inflorescences

drooping, 3–7-flowered, bracteate, 0.5–1.5 cm, glabrous;

bracts early-deciduous, not leaflike (linear-lanceolate), 2–4 mm, shorter than pedicels, glabrous, sessile-glandular.

drooping, 2–4-flowered, sometimes flowers solitary, bracteate, 1–4.5 cm, glabrous or pilose;

bracts early-deciduous, leaflike or not, 5–6 mm, shorter than pedicels, sessile-glandular, sparsely hairy.

Pedicels

3–6 mm, glabrous, sessile-glandular;

bracteoles 1(–2), 1–2 mm.

8–15(–20) mm, glabrous, sessile-glandular;

bracteoles 1–2, 1–2.5 mm, (sessile-glandular).

Flowers

sepals 5, 0.7–1 mm, glabrous, sessile-glandular;

petals 4–5, corolla orange to red, campanulate-conic, 4–5 mm, lobes 0.5–0.7 mm;

filaments 2 mm, glabrous;

anthers included, 2.2–2.5 mm, thecae divergent distally;

ovary glabrous.

sepals 5, 1–1.2 mm, glabrous, sessile-glandular;

petals 5, corolla greenish white, campanulate-conic, 3–5 mm, lobes deltate, 1–1.4 mm;

filaments 0.5–1 mm, pilose;

anthers included (tips barely exserted), 2.5 mm, thecae not divergent distally;

ovary glabrous.

Drupes

juicy, sweet, glossy black (sometimes blue, rarely white), 6–7 mm diam., glabrous.

juicy, sweet, blue (sometimes black, rarely white), glaucescent, 5–8 mm diam., glabrous.

Seeds

ca. 2 mm.

1.5 mm.

2n

= 24.

Gaylussacia baccata

Gaylussacia frondosa

Phenology Flowering late spring. Flowering late spring.
Habitat Sandy or rocky soil in deciduous, pine, or mixed woods, roadsides, pastures, and utility rights-of-way, wet, acidic bogs, fens Upland sites in deciduous oak-hickory woods and pine hardwoods, roadsides, pastures, and utility rights-of-way, moist to wet acidic shrub swamps and pocosins, streamhead ecotones, moist to wet pine savannas and flatwoods
Elevation 0-800 m (0-2600 ft) 0-300 m (0-1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; DE; GA; MA; MD; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 534. FNA vol. 8, p. 534.
Parent taxa Ericaceae > subfam. Vaccinioideae > Gaylussacia Ericaceae > subfam. Vaccinioideae > Gaylussacia
Sibling taxa
G. bigeloviana, G. brachycera, G. dumosa, G. frondosa, G. mosieri, G. nana, G. orocola, G. tomentosa, G. ursina
G. baccata, G. bigeloviana, G. brachycera, G. dumosa, G. mosieri, G. nana, G. orocola, G. tomentosa, G. ursina
Synonyms Andromeda baccata, Decachaena baccata, G. baccata var. glaucocarpa Decachaena frondosa, Vaccinium frondosum
Name authority (Wangenheim) K. Koch: Dendrologie 2(1): 93. 1872 , (Linnaeus) Torrey & A. Gray: in J. Torrey, Fl. New York 1: 449. 1843 ,
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