Vaccinium ovalifolium
| Vaccinium ovalifolium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Vaccinium |
| Species: | V. ovalifolium |
| Binomial name | |
| Vaccinium ovalifolium Sm.[1] | |
| Varieties | |
| |
| Synonyms[2][3][4] | |
Vaccinium ovalifolium (commonly known as Alaska blueberry, early blueberry, oval-leaf bilberry, oval-leaf blueberry, and oval-leaf huckleberry)[2] is a plant in the heath family having three varieties, all of which grow in northerly regions, including the subarctic.[2]
Growth
It is a spreading shrub which may grow to 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. It has pink 1⁄4 in (0.64 cm) urn-shaped flowers.[6]
Distribution
The original variety (i.e. the automatically named Vaccinium ovalifolium var[iety] ovalifolium) is found on both the eastern and western sides of the Pacific Ocean; in North America, it is distributed in Canada (in Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, southern Ontario, south central Quebec, and southern Yukon Territory); and the U.S. (in southern Alaska, Idaho, northern Michigan, Oregon, western South Dakota, and Washington); across the Pacific to Asia and Eurasia, it is distributed in Russia (in Kamchatka, the southern Kuril Islands, Primorsky Krai, and Sakhalin); and in Japan (in Hokkaido, and central and northern Honshu).[2]
- The two other varieties are confined to Japan and Russia:
- V. o. var. sachalinense is only found in Sakhalin in Russia, and Hokkaido in Japan.[5]
- V. o. var. alpinum is distributed only within the Daisetsu and Hidaka Mountains of Hokkaido.[3]
Uses
Vaccinium ovalifolium is used by in jams and jellies and for making liqueur. Blueberry herbal tea can be made from the leaves, or from the juice of the blueberries themselves.[6]
Vaccinium ovalifolium has been used in Russia in the making of dyes, including the use of its tannin.[2]
In the winter, Vaccinium ovalifolium is an important food source for grazing deer, goats, and elk, and in the summer the nectar feeds hummingbirds.[6]
References
- ↑ Vaccinium ovalifolium was originally collected for classification from Alaska by botanist Archibald Menzies between 1787–1788; and later described and published by botanist James Edward Smith in The Cyclopaedia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences and Literature (by Abraham Rees), London. 36: Vaccinium #2. 1817. "Name - Vaccinium ovalifolium Sm.". Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 GRIN (October 19, 2009). "Vaccinium ovalifolium information from NPGS/GRIN". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Journal of Japanese Botany 62:128. 1987. GRIN (October 19, 2009). "Vaccinium ovalifolium var. alpinum information from NPGS/GRIN". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 GRIN (October 19, 2009). "Vaccinium ovalifolium var. ovalifolium information from NPGS/GRIN". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Journal of Japanese Botany 62:128. 1987. GRIN (October 19, 2009). "'Vaccinium ovalifolium var. sachalinense information from NPGS/GRIN". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Ewing, Susan (1996). The Great Alaska Nature Factbook. Portland, Oregon: Alaska Northwest Books. ISBN 0-88240-454-7.
External links
- Jepson eFlora (TJM2) treatment of Vaccinium ovalifolium (California huckleberry)
- Calflora Database: Vaccinium ovatum (California huckleberry, evergreen huckleberry)
- USDA Plants Profile for Vaccinium ovatum (California huckleberry)
- "Vaccinium ovalifolium Sm.". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- Vaccinium ovalifolium in Plantarium Database - A Photo Guide.
- Vaccinium ovalifolium — UC Photos gallery
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