Grouse whortleberry is a low, spreading, bushy huckleberry shrub native to mountain forests, meadows and rocky slopes of western North America. It is grown mainly for its tart red berries and suits cool, moist mountain-style conditions.
Family
Ericaceae (Heather family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Part shade
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged, using rainwater or low-mineral water.
Soil
Acidic, humus-rich, well-drained soil or a peat-based ericaceous mix.
Temperature
Hardy to well below freezing; comfortable in cool summers, around 5–24 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
W. Canada to W. & WC. U.S.A.
Climate
subalpine or subarctic
About
Vaccinium scoparium is a species of huckleberry known by the common names grouse whortleberry, grouseberry, and littleleaf huckleberry.
Where it grows
It is native to western North America, primarily in the Rockies, Cascades, and Black Hills from British Columbia and Alberta south to far northern California to Colorado and New Mexico, and east to South Dakota. It grows in mountain habitat such as forests, meadows, and talus, occurring in subalpine and alpine climates at elevations of 700 to 3,000 m (2,300 to 9,800 ft). It is a common understory plant in many forested regions of the Rocky Mountains, being common to abundant in some areas.
Uses
The berries are edible and were used for food by many Native American groups, including the Kootenay, Okanogan, and Shuswap. They are small and difficult to collect in large quantities, and Native people likely used combs made of wood or fishbones to harvest them.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Vaccinium scoparium 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.