Description:
- The Highbush blueberry is a slow-growing, multi-stemmed, occasionally monoecious, deciduous, shrub that grows 6 to 12 feet tall.
- Its is best known for its fruit.
- It usually has simple, green leaves which are one to two inches long and turn bright red in the fall.
- It does not like shade.
Leaves:
-
Deciduous, alternate, simple, elliptic or ovate
-
1 to 3½ inches long
- Slightly waxy
- Hairs can be found on the veins beneath.
Flowers:
- Most often white, but can sometimes be pinkish
- Contain a cluster of flowers with 5 to 12 flowers in a cluster
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Flowering occurs February to June
- Small, urn shaped flowers
- Have both male and female parts in a single flower
- Pollination occurs primarily by bees
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Flowering occurs February to June
Fruit:
- Fruiting occurs April to October.
- Fruits are ¼ - ½” blue-black berries with many seeds.
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A favorite of many humans and animals
Ecological Characteristics:
- Widespread in eastern North America, also found in the South and parts of the Northwest (i.e. image below)
- Most common native habitat is in moist or wet peat of moderate to high acidity — such as marshes, swamps, lakes and flood-prone areas
- Also found in drier areas — such as dunes and barrier beaches, rocky hillsides, oak woods, and pinewoods
References
http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_vaco.pdf
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=VACO&mapType=nativity
http://www.abnativeplants.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/30/index.htm
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/uploads/images/4-10BlueberryBeeRUFUS.jpg
Page drafted by Kate Fridholm
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Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
Fun Facts
- Hybrids are often used in commercial fruit production
- Produces fruit every year.
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It is self- fertile, but cross-pollination increases fruit amount and size.
ES 203: SPRING FLORA OF THE GREAT LAKES
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