WorldFloraDB - Vaccinium corymbosum

Characteristics

Crown-forming shrubs (0.5)1–3(–5) m; lvs ovate to narrowly elliptic, deciduous, 3–8 × 1.5–4 cm, variously serrulate or often entire, hairy (rarely glandular) or glabrous and sometimes glaucous; cor white or greenish-white to pink, cylindric to urceolate cylindric, 5–10 mm; fr blue-glaucous to black, 5–12 mm; 2n=24, 48, 72, ours mostly 48. Open swamps and bogs, or sometimes in upland woods or in old fields, from the coastal plain to the mt.-tops; Me. and N.S. to Fla., w. to Mich., n. Ill., Ky., Ark., e. Okla., and e. Tex. Apr.–July. (V. atrococcum; V. australe; V. caesariense; V. constablaei; V. marianum; V. simulatum; Cyanococcus atrococcus; C. margarettae; C. s.) Highly variable, not readily sorted into recognizable taxa. V. caesariense Mack., a diploid with glabrous, glaucous, entire lvs, glabrous or subglabrous twigs, and blue-glaucous fr, is ± distinguishable from the variable remainder of the group, diploid or often polyploid, with variously entire or serrulate, glabrous or hairy lvs and twigs, and blue or often black fr.

Plants erect, not colonial, sometimes suckering, 10-50 dm; twigs green, angular to terete, usually hairy in lines. Leaves usually deciduous; blade dark green, ovate to narrowly elliptic, 15-70 × 10-25 mm, subcoriaceous, margins sharply serrate or entire, surfaces glabrous or hairy abaxially. Flowers: calyx green, glabrous; corolla white to pink, ± cylindric, 5-12 mm; filaments usually ciliate. Berries dull black to blue, glaucous, 4-12 mm diam., glabrous. Seeds 10-20(-25), ca. 1.2 mm. 2n = 24, 48, 72.

A spindly shrubby bush. It grows to 2 m high. It spreads 1.5 m wide. It can send out suckers. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves are oval and pointed. They are 2.5-8 cm long. The leaves turn rich red and orange in autumn. Flowers normally develop before leaves. The flowers are in short pink or white racemes. They are tube shaped. The fruit are large black berries. They are 12 mm across. They are edible.

A shrub.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

shrub

Growth support

free-standing

Foliage retention

deciduous

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

entomogamy

Spread

Mature width (meter)

1.25 - 1.5

Mature height (meter)

2.0

Root system

creeping-root

Rooting depth (meter)

0.45

Root diameter (meter)

0.1

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

Fruiting months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Nitrogen fixer

Photosynthetic pathway

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It needs heavy frost to enhance the flavour of the fruit. Plants need cold treatment during winter. Some varieties need 750 hours below 7°C. Without a cold treatment plants can remain evergreen and produce light crops of fruit throughout the year. They can grow in very acid soils with pH of 4.2-4.5. In Hobart Botanical gardens. It suits hardiness zones 2-9.

Open swamps, bogs, sandy margins of lakes, ponds, and streams, flatwoods, gray-birch scrub, pine barrens, mires, bay heads, upland ericaceous meadows, upland woods, ravines, mountain summits; at elevations from sea level to 1,600 metres.

It is a temperate plant.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The fruit are eaten as a dessert fruit and also in fruit salads, juices, syrups and other foods and drinks. They are used in jams, tarts and muffins. They can be frozen.

Uses	environmental use food gene source material medicinal
Edible	fruits leaves
Therapeutic use	Antioxidants (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Plants are grown from cuttings treated with hormone. They can be grown by division. They can be grown from seed.

Mode	cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days)	365
Germination temperacture (C°)	18 - 23
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-29
Optimum temperature (C°)	18 - 30
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-