''Vaccinium corymbosum'', the northern highbush blueberry, is a North American species of blueberry. Other common names include blue huckleberry, tall huckleberry, swamp huckleberry, high blueberry, and swamp blueberry.

Description

''Vaccinium corymbosum'' is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

growing to tall and wide. It is often found in dense thickets. The dark glossy green

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are elliptical and up to long. In autumn, the leaves turn to a brilliant red, orange, yellow, and/or purple.''Vaccinium corymbosum''. accessed 3.23.2013Flora of North America, ''Vaccinium corymbosum'' Linnaeus, 1753. High-bush blueberry, bleuet en corymbe
/ref> The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are long bell- or urn-shaped white to very light pink, long. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a blue-black

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

with a diameter. The species is tetraploid and does not self-pollinate. Most cultivars have a chilling requirement greater than 800 hours. Cytology is 2n = 48.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to eastern Canada and the eastern and southern United States, from

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

east to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

and south as far as

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and eastern

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. It is also naturalized in other places, including Europe, Japan, New Zealand, and the North American

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

. The plant is found in wooded or open

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s with moist acidic soils.Missouri Botanical Garden: Kemper Center for Home Gardening — ''Vaccinium corymbosum''
accessed 3.23.2013

Ecology

In natural habitats, the berries are a food source for native and migrating birds, bears, and small mammals. The foliage is browsed by deer and rabbits.

Uses

The berries were collected and used in Native American cuisine in areas where ''V. corymbosum'' grew natively. Many wild species of ''Vaccinium'' are thought to have been cultivated by Native Americans for thousands of years, with intentional crop burnings in northeastern areas being apparent from archeological evidence. ''V. corymbosum'', being one of the species likely used by these peoples, was later studied and domesticated in 1908 by Elizabeth Coleman White and Frederick Vernon Coville. It went on to become the most common commercially grown blueberry in North America. It is also cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

for home and wildlife gardens and

natural landscaping Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are local to the geographic area of the garden. Benefits Maintenance Natural landscaping is adapted to t ...

projects. The soil pH must be very acidic (4.5 to 5.5).

Cultivars

Some common cultivar varieties are listed here, grouped by approximate start of the harvest season: The cultivars ''Duke'' and ''Spartan'' have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

Southern highbush blueberry

Some named Southern highbush blueberry are hybridized forms derived from crosses between ''V. corymbosum'' and '' V. darrowii'', a native of the Southeastern U.S. These hybrids and other cultivars of ''V. darrowii'' (Southern highbush blueberry) have been developed for cultivation in warm southern and western regions of North America.Four Winds Growers: Care of southern highbush blueberries
/ref>

References

External links

United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile for ''Vaccinium corymbosum'' (highbush blueberry)

Species account and photographs from Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network (NPIN)
{{Authority control corymbosum Blueberries Fruits originating in North America Crops originating from North America Flora of Eastern Canada Flora of the Eastern United States Flora of the Appalachian Mountains Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Bird food plants Plants used in Native American cuisine Garden plants of North America