Vaccinium crassifolium

Vaccinium crassifolium, or the creeping blueberry, is a species of Vaccinium in the heath family. It is native to a portion of the Southeastern United States.

Vaccinium crassifolium
United States Botanic Garden's National Garden, Washington
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Vaccinium
Species:	V. crassifolium
Binomial name
Vaccinium crassifolium Andrews[2]
Synonyms[3]
Herpothamnus crassifolius (Andrews) Small Vaccinium crassifolium subsp. sempervirens (D.A.Rayner & J. Henderson) W.B.Kirkman & Ballington Vaccinium sempervirens D.A.Rayner & J.Henderson

Description

It is an evergreen shrub with shiny dark green to bronze leaves. Cytology is 2n = 24.^[4]

Taxonomy

Vaccinium crassifolium is the only species in Vaccinium sect. Herpothamnus. Some sources have recognized a second species, V. sempervirens, but recent authors combine the two into a single species.^[3][5]

Creeping blueberries, although they are native to North America, do not seem to be most closely related to North American blueberries, but instead to South American Vaccinium species.^[5]

Distribution and habitat

Vaccinium crassifolium is native to the coastal plain of Georgia, the Carolinas, and southeastern Virginia, especially in pine barrens but also in disturbed settings like roadsides and other open areas.^[3][6][7]

Uses

The leaves resemble bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), and may be used in herbalism in its place.^[8]

Vaccinium crassifolium has been cultivated since at least about 1787,^[5] and several cultivars are available for planting as a groundcover in landscaping gardens.^[9]