Vaccinium tenellum |
Vaccinium parvifolium |
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small black blueberry, southern blueberry |
red huckleberry |
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Habit | Plants forming extensive, open colonies, 1–7.5 dm; twigs yellowish green, ± terete, hairy. | Plants crown-forming, sometimes suckering when injured, 10–70 dm, not rhizomatous; twigs of current season green, sharply angled, glabrous or minutely puberulent in lines; (short lateral branches on both orthotropic and plagiotropic shoots often divaricate to 75° giving shrub a distinct fasciculate aspect). |
Leaves | deciduous, rarely persistent; blade green, spatulate to elliptic, 13–40 × 3–17 mm, subcoriaceous, margins sharply to obscurely serrate, surfaces glandular abaxially, hairy especially when young, rarely glabrous. |
blades dark green, ovate to oblong-elliptic, 13–25 × 8–14 mm, margins entire, surfaces puberulent or glabrous abaxially, glabrous adaxially. |
Flowers | calyx pale green, sometimes hairy; corolla usually white tinged with pink, cylindric, 5–9 mm; filaments ± hairy. |
calyx pale green, lobes spreading, distinct, broadly ovate, 0.4–0.6 mm, glabrous; corolla pink, bronze, or yellowish green, globose to urceolate, 4–6 × 3–5 mm, thin, glaucous; filaments glabrous. |
Berries | black, 6–8 mm diam., sometimes puberulent. |
red, sometimes faintly glaucous, translucent, 7–10 mm diam. |
Seeds | 5–25, ca. 1 mm. |
ca. 1 mm. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Vaccinium tenellum |
Vaccinium parvifolium |
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Phenology | Flowering winter–spring. | Flowering spring–summer. |
Habitat | Dry sand hills, pine barrens, scrubby oak woods, open pine parkland, and flatwoods subject to burning | Coniferous woods, often on stumps and logs, disturbed areas |
Elevation | 0-200 m (0-700 ft) | 0-1100 m (0-3600 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; MS; NC; SC; VA
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AK; CA; OR; WA; BC
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Discussion | The red, waxy fruits of Vaccinium parvifolium were popular with all coastal Indian tribes and remain so with recreational pickers. The berries are somewhat sour but make excellent pastries and preserves. Commercial use of V. parvifolium is limited; vigorous growth, ease of harvest, and site adaptability provide opportunities. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 528. | FNA vol. 8, p. 522. |
Parent taxa | Ericaceae > subfam. Vaccinioideae > Vaccinium > sect. Cyanococcus | Ericaceae > subfam. Vaccinioideae > Vaccinium > sect. Myrtillus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Cyanococcus tenellus | |
Name authority | Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 12. 1789 , | Smith: in A. Rees, Cycl. 36: Vaccinium no. 3. 1817 , |
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