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Black highbush blueberry

Vaccinium fuscatum

Also called Hairy Highbush Blueberry, Highbush Blueberry, Blueberry, Swamp Blueberry, American Blueberry, New Jersey Blueberry, Smallflower Blueberry

Black highbush blueberry
Photo: Mason Brock (Masebrock), Public domain

Black highbush blueberry is an upright deciduous shrub native to wet areas of eastern North America, grown for its dark edible berries. The key to growing it is keeping its roots consistently moist and acidic.

Family
Ericaceae (Heather family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep soil consistently moist, never waterlogged for long periods, and water freely in dry spells.
Soil
Acidic, humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil with pH around 4.5 to 5.5, ideally amended with peat or pine bark.
Temperature
Hardy to around -30 °C; protect young container plants from extreme cold and heat.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
C. & E. U.S.A.
Climate
temperate

About

Vaccinium fuscatum, the black highbush blueberry or hairy highbush blueberry, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family (Ericaceae). It is native to North America, where it is found in Ontario, Canada and the eastern United States. Its typical natural habitat is wet areas such as bogs, pocosins, and swamps.

Vaccinium fuscatum is an upright deciduous shrub. It can be distinguished from the similar-looking Vaccinium corymbosum by its stems and abaxial leaf surfaces are pubescent with dingy hairs, and its dark colored fruit that lacks a glaucous coating. In addition it has an earlier bloom time, producing flowers in early spring. It is sometimes considered a synonym of Vaccinium corymbosum. Cytology is 2n = 24, 48.

Other Vaccinium plants

Lowbush blueberry · Farkleberry · Northern blueberry · Sea bilberry · New Jersey blueberry · Dwarf bilberry · Highbush blueberry · Creeping blueberry · Azorean Bilberry · Darrow's blueberry · Elliott's blueberry · Southern mountain cranberry

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Vaccinium fuscatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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