Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database. Young stems and leaves can be waxy or hairy, depending on the species. M.S. Here's some links if you want to download a whole group.

Pronunciation: vak-SIN-ee-um o-VA-tum. [1] It occurs mostly at low to middle elevations in soil enriched by decaying wood and on rotten logs, from sea level up to 1,820-metre (6,000 ft).

Huckleberry plants are deciduous shrubs or subshrubs with simple oblong leaves. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Vaccinium parvifolium, the red huckleberry, is a species of Vaccinium native to western North America, where it is common in forests from southeastern Alaska and British Columbia south through western Washington and Oregon to central California. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The bark or leaves of the plant were brewed for a bitter cold remedy, made as tea or smoked. Corrections? [2] The bright red, acidic berries were used extensively for food throughout the year. Deer and some livestock forage the foliage. Huckleberry fruits are edible and resemble blueberries (Vaccinium species), to which they are closely related. Thesis. Vaccinium ovatum. Stems mostly less than 2 m tall; branchlets of current season sometimes angled, brownish or yellowish to reddish green, glabrous or hairy in lines. 160 p. Forcella, F. 1977. Vaccinium parvifolium, the red huckleberry, is a species of Vaccinium native to western North America, where it is common in forests from southeastern Alaska and British Columbia south through western Washington and Oregon to central California. Calyx urceolate to globose, glabrous, green, the lobes typically obscure.

The name huckleberry is a North American variation of the English dialectal name hurtleberry or whortleberry. [5], "The Natural History of Vaccinium parvifolium Smith, the Red Huckleberry", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vaccinium_parvifolium&oldid=981941178, Flora of the West Coast of the United States, Plants used in traditional Native American medicine, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 October 2020, at 08:39. Leaves … [8] It requires acidic soil (pH of 4.5 to 6) and does not tolerate root disturbance. When early American colonists encountered native American berries, they misidentified them as European berries, which were called hurtleberry. In the Oregon Coast Range, it is the most common Vaccinium. Leaf blades 25-55 mm long, 10-25 mm wide, broadly elliptic to ovate or obovate, margins strongly serrate, apex rounded to acute or acuminate. It is the common name for various Gaylussacia species, and some Vaccinium species, such as Vaccinium parvifolium, the red huckleberry, and is also applied to other Vaccinium species which may also be called Evergreen Huckleberry . The common huckleberry (G. baccata) of the eastern United States and Canada is also called black, or high-bush, huckleberry. Vol. Omissions? Huckleberry fruits are edible and resemble blueberries (Vaccinium species), to which they are closely related. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. Fresh berries were eaten in large quantities, or used for fish bait because of the slight resemblance to salmon eggs. Native … In North America the name was applied to numerous plant variations all bearing small berries with colors that may be red, blue or black. The leaves are ovate to oblong-elliptic, 9-millimetre (0.35 in) to 30-millimetre (1.2 in) long, and 4-millimetre (0.16 in) to 16-millimetre (0.63 in) wide, with an entire margin. Common name: Box Huckleberry . Scientific Name and Common Name; Kingdom: Plantae – Plants Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [3], Indigenous peoples of North America—including the Bear River Band, Karok, and Pomo tribes[4]—found the plant and its fruit very useful. Vaccinium parvifolium is cultivated in the specialty horticulture trade with limited availability as an ornamental plant: for natural landscaping, native plant, and habitat gardens; wildlife gardens; and restoration projects. According to one fable, it got its name by mistake, and is actually a corruption of different names. Description Evergreen Huckleberry is a prized addition to any Northwest native landscape with its little urn-shaped flowers, perennial leaves and glossy, blackish-purple berries. Genus: Vaccinium. Insects associated with Montana's huckleberry (Ericaceae: Vaccinium globulare) plants and the bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of Montana. Thesis. Berry typically broade than tall, 8-13 mm wide, waxy-shiny from dark purple-black to reddish or rarely whitish (adapted largely from Vander Kloet 2009 in Flora N. Family: Ericaceae. Morphology: An upright, evergreen, broad-leaved shrub that typically grows 2’-3’ tall in the sun but up to 10’ in height if grown in full shade. Dwarf huckleberry (G. dumosa) extends from Florida to Newfoundland. Flora, chorology, biomass and productivity of the Pinus albicaulis-Vaccinium scoparium association. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/plant/huckleberry, huckleberry - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Bozeman, MT: Montana State University.

Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Scientific Plant Names; Glossary of technical terms; USDA Hardiness Zone Maps of the United States ; Sunset's Climate Zones; References; Oregon Master Gardener Training: Identifying Woody Plants; Vaccinium ovatum . BC east to ON and MI, south to CA, AZ, and CO (adapted from Vander Kloet 2009 in Flora N. Amer. Box huckleberry (G. brachycera), native to the eastern and central United States, can form huge clones, some of which are thousands of years old, by vegetative reproduction.

The name 'huckleberry' is a North American variation of the English dialectal name variously called 'hurtleberry' or 'whortleberry' (/ˈhwɜːrtəlbɛri/) for the bilberry.

View in other NatureServe Network Field Guides. Berries were also dried for later use. Dolan, A.C. 2016. 8). Huckleberry, any of several species of small fruit-bearing shrubs of the genus Gaylussacia (family Ericaceae). Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription.

The small urn-shaped flowers, sometimes solitary but typically borne in small clusters, can be greenish, red, white, or pinkish. The plants are found throughout eastern North America and the Andes and other mountainous regions of South America. Huckleberries can be eaten fresh or dried or prepared as a tea or jelly.[2][5]. Look for this PDF icon at the top of each page as you search and browse. The fleshy fruits have 10 small seeds. Huckleberry, any of several species of small fruit-bearing shrubs of the genus Gaylussacia (family Ericaceae). Corolla 3-5 mm long x 5-7 mm wide, of varying shades from whitish to pinkish or yellowish-brown; glabrous. Cool coniferous forests and open areas especially after disturbance; montane to subapline. [2], The flowers are yellow-white to pinkish-white with pink, decumbent bell-shaped 4-millimetre (0.16 in) to 5-millimetre (0.20 in) long. You can download select species by searching or when you're on a Taxa page like Class, Order, and Family. The red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) of the southern United States is commonly called the southern cranberry. Type: Broadleaf. M.Sc. [2] The branches were used as brooms, and the twigs were used to fasten western skunk cabbage leaves into berry baskets. [2], The fruit is an edible red to orange berry 6-millimetre (0.24 in) to 10-millimetre (0.39 in) in diameter. In the Oregon … 8). Dried berries were stewed and made into sauces, or mixed with salmon roe and oil to eat at winter feasts.[2]. [2], Birds, bears, and small mammals eat the berries. The plants can be cultivated and require acidic and moist but well-drained soil. Mature plants in shaded locations can spread 10’ wide, especially if the site is moist. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 4-metre (13 ft) tall with bright green shoots with an angular cross-section. The plants are found throughout eastern North America and the Andes and other mountainous regions of South America. 99 … As a crop plant (along with the other huckleberries of the genus Vaccinium in western North America), it is not currently grown on a large Commercial agriculture scale, despite efforts to make this possible. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [6][7] Another cultivated species of similar size and habitats is the evergreen Vaccinium ovatum (evergreen huckleberry). (Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version), (Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts), http://FieldGuide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=PDERI180K0, Web Search Engines for Articles on "Common Huckleberry". Updates?

Amer., Vol. Plants generally in arhizomatous clumps.