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Vaccinium praestans
Kamchatka bilberry is a low, slow-growing perennial shrub from cold forests and bogs of the Russian Far East and Japan, grown mainly for its red-purple foliage and edible berries. It needs cool, moist, acidic conditions and does best in a cool climate.
Vaccinium praestans, the Kamchatka bilberry, is a perennial shrub in the family Ericaceae. In Russia it is known as the Klopovka, or stink-bug berry, due to its distinct, potent scent, resembling that of the bug.
The plant is native to Eastern Russia, but can be found in North America and East Asia. Mostly growing in the wild, it is also enjoyed as an ornamental plant, most commonly in Japan, where it is used to decorate home gardens.
The berries can cause severe allergic reactions not only though ingestion but also through smell alone.
The plant is native to Kamchatka, Eastern Russia but can be found in Northern America and East Asia in spruce, fir and deciduous forests. It is found in higher elevations and slopes, growing in mossy bogs, marshes and swampy woods, often off of rotting fallen tree trunks. It is endemic to the Mountain Taiga region of Primorye, Kamchatka, Khabarovsk Region, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands (Kunashir, Shikotan, Etorofu Simushir, Uruppu Keta), Honshu, and Hokkaido.
The berries this plant fruits are known for their ambiguous flavor, which however dissipates when the berries are boiled. The berries can be eaten raw, and exhibit peculiar gustatory characteristics: they are first sweet and then sour, then fade to a bitter, but salty aftertaste. In the confectionery industry, these berries are used in making jellies and jams, preparations of marmalade, soft drinks, and pastries.
Malea pilosa · Vaccinium adenochaetum · Lowbush blueberry · Farkleberry · Caucasian Whortleberry · Vaccinium bissei · Vaccinium boninense · Northern blueberry · Sea bilberry · New Jersey blueberry · Ohelo kau la'au · East Polynesian Blueberry
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Vaccinium praestans 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.
