Blueberry (Vaccinium)

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  1.   1.  Description
    1.   1.1  Growth
    2.   1.2  Types
    3.   1.3  Obtainment
  2.   2.  Uses
    1.   2.1  Edible
  3.   3.  More
  4.   4.  'Souls
Common Name Blueberry
Latin Name Vaccinium (genus)
Icon(s)

"Lowbush blueberry bush"
by Caleb Slemmons - forestryimages.org.
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

1.  Description

Blueberries are perennial flowering plants with indigo-colored berries, related to Cranberries.

1.1  Growth

This plant grows best in wooded or open areas with well-drained acidic soils. Traditionally, blueberry growers burn their fields every few years to get rid of shrubs and fertilize the soil. The blueberry harvest can start as early as May and usually ends in late summer.
Commonly found in: Northern Tides (especially Camp Gagetown), George's Island (Halifax), Western Tangles

1.2  Types

The Common Blueberry and Lowbush Blueberry hybridize in the wild.

  • Common Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides): The leaves are bright green, paler underneath with velvety hairs. The flowers are white, bell-shaped, 5 mm long.
  • Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium): This low-growing variety is usually 35 cm tall or less. The leaves are glossy blue-green in summer and turn purple in the fall. The flowers are white and bell-shaped.
  • Northern Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum): Grows to 4 m tall. The dark glossy green leaves are elliptical and no more than 5 cm long. In fall, the leaves change to a brilliant red. The flowers are white and bell-shaped.
  • Alaska Blueberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium): May grow to 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. It has pink bell-shaped flowers.

1.3  Obtainment

Common -- native. In some areas it produces natural blueberry barrens -- dense thickets where it is practically the only species covering large areas. his plant grows best in wooded or open areas with well-drained acidic soils. The plant is fire-tolerant and its numbers often increase in an area following a forest fire.

2.  Uses

  • Dye: Has been used in the making of dyes, including the use of its tannin.

2.1  Edible

  • Food of all sorts -- the dark blue, violet, or purple berries provide a sweet fruit. Jams and jellies.
  • Blueberry herbal tea can be made from the leaves, or from the juice of the blueberries themselves.
  • Blueberry wine and liquer are made from the flesh and skin of the berry, which is fermented and then matured; the Lowbush variety is used most frequently.

3.  More

4.  'Souls

  • Hey, did your character do something cool with this plant?
  • Or maybe your pack has it for trade?


Categories: Flora | Resources