lowbush blueberry

(Vaccinium angustifolium)

Conservation Status
lowbush blueberry
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Midwest

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACU - Facultative upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Lowbush blueberry is a deciduous, low-growing, 12 to 20 tall, erect, perennial shrub. It rises on one or a few stems from a shallow, fibrous root system and sometimes a taproot. It spreads by woody rhizomes and often forms dense colonies.

First-year stems are erect and green. They have scattered, wart-like elevations and are sometimes covered with a whitish, waxy coating (glaucous). They are hairless or have scattered, short, curved hairs.

The leaves are deciduous, alternate, and stalkless or short-stalked. The blade is narrowly elliptical, to 1 long, and ¼ to wide. It is to ½ as wide as it is long. It is tapered at the base and tapers to a point at the tip with a short, sharp, abrupt point at the tip. The upper surface is dark green and may be hairless along the main vein but is otherwise hairless. The lower surface is pale green and hairy along the main vein or hairless. The margins are toothed with regular, minute, sharp, forward pointing teeth, and sometimes have a fringe of scattered, short hairs. The teeth have a stalked gland at the tip.

The inflorescence is a crowded, unbranched, elongated cluster (raceme) of 2 to 15 flowers at the ends of branches or rising from leaf axils.

The flowers are 3 16 to ¼ long. The 5 green sepals are fused at the base into a calyx tube and separated at the tip onto 5 broadly triangular lobes. The calyx tube is hairless and glaucous. There are 5 usually white, sometimes pale pink petals. The petals are fused nearly their entire length into an cylinder- or urn-shaped corolla tube, then separated at the tip into 5 short lobes. The lobes are shorter than the tube. There are 8 to 10 stamens on flat, hairy filaments.

The fruit is a fleshy berry with 10 to 15 seeds. The berry is globe-shaped, ¼ to in diameter, hairless, and usually blue, sometimes black. The berries ripen late July to early September.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

12 to 20

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

White

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Bog bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) leaf blade is shorter, no more than long. It is broadly elliptical, sometimes almost round. The margins are untoothed. The flowers are borne singly or in pairs.

Velvet-leaf blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides) twigs are densely hairy. The upper and lower leaf surfaces are densely hairy, though sometimes only along the main veins. The leaf margins are untoothed and have a fringe of long hairs.

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Dry, in rocky or sandy soil, and moist, in sphagnum bogs. Woods, forests, bogs, rock outcrops, sand barrens. Light shade.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

Mid-May to mid-June

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

blueberry stem gall wasp (Hemadas nubilipennis)

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 24, 28, 29, 30.

 
  5/8/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Asteranae  
 

Order

Ericales (heathers, balsams, primroses, and allies)  
 

Family

Ericaceae (heath)  
  Subfamily Vaccinioideae (blueberries, cranberries, huckleberries, and allies)  
  Tribe Vaccinieae  
 

Genus

Vaccinium (blueberries, cranberries, and allies)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
       
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Vaccinium angustifolium var. hypolasium

Vaccinium angustifolium var. laevifolium

Vaccinium angustifolium var. nigrum

Vaccinium brittonii

Vaccinium lamarckii

Vaccinium nigrum

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

blueberry

common lowbush blueberry

early lowbush blueberry

late low blueberry

late sweet blueberry

low sweet blueberry

lowbush blueberry

sweet lowbush blueberry

sweethurts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Axil

The upper angle where a branch, stem, leaf stalk, or vein diverges.

 

Calyx

The group of outer floral leaves (sepals) below the petals, occasionally forming a tube.

 

Corolla

A collective name for all of the petals of a flower.

 

Filament

The thread-like stalk of a stamen which supports the anther.

 

Glaucous

Pale green or bluish gray due to a whitish, powdery or waxy film, as on a plum or a grape.

 

Raceme

An unbranched, elongated inflorescence with stalked flowers. The flowers mature from the bottom up.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 
 
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Luciearl

 
    blueberry stem gall wasp   blueberry stem gall wasp  
           
 

This is what blooming now, everywhere.

 
    lowbush blueberry      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Plant

 
    lowbush blueberry   lowbush blueberry  
           
    lowbush blueberry      
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    lowbush blueberry      
           
 

Leaves

 
    lowbush blueberry      
           
 

Fruit

 
    lowbush blueberry      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 

Early Lowbush Blueberry
Andree Reno Sanborn

  Early Lowbush Blueberry  
 
About

Vaccinium augustifolium

 

Vaccinium angustifolium (Low Sweet Blueberry)
Allen Chartier

  Vaccinium angustifolium (Low Sweet Blueberry)  

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Vaccinium angustifolium.mp4
newenglandwild's channel
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on May 16, 2011

Vaccinium angustifolium, common lowbush blueberry, presented by Dan Jaffe, Native Plant Sales Coordinator at Garden in the Woods

 
  Vaccinium angustifolium var nigrum
wander van laar
 
   
 
About

Published on Jun 26, 2014

No description available.

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this plant.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
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  Luciearl
10/12/2023

Location: Fairview Twp.

blueberry stem gall wasp

 
  Luciearl
5/17/2021

Location: Cass County

This is what blooming now, everywhere.

lowbush blueberry

 
  Crystal Boyd
5/29/2013

Location: La Salle Lake SNA

 

 
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

Binoculars


Created 3/18/2019

Last Updated:

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