Vaccinium parvifolium

Vaccinium parvifolium, the red huckleberry, is a species of Vaccinium native to western North America.

Vaccinium parvifolium
Fruit and leaves in Issaquah, Washington
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Vaccinium
Species:	V. parvifolium
Binomial name
Vaccinium parvifolium Sm.

Description

It is a deciduous shrub growing to 4 metres (13 feet) tall with bright green shoots with an angular cross-section. The leaves are ovate to oblong-elliptic, 9 to 30 millimetres (1⁄4 to 1+1⁄4 inches) long, and 4 to 16 mm (1⁄8 to 5⁄8 in) wide, with an entire margin.^[1]

The nodding flowers appear singly in leaf axils. The flowers are yellow-white to pinkish, decumbent, bell-shaped, and 4 to 5 mm (3⁄16 to 3⁄16 in) long.^[1][2]

The fruit is an edible red to orange berry 6 to 10 mm (1⁄4 to 3⁄8 in) in diameter.^[1] Cytology is 2n = 24.

• 
  Whole plant
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  Blossoms
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  Fresh leaves and buds
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  Leaves and berries
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  Close-up of leaves and fruit

Distribution and habitat

It is common in forests from southeastern Alaska and British Columbia south through western Washington and Oregon to central California.

In the Oregon Coast Range, it is the most common Vaccinium.^[3] It grows in moist, shaded woodlands.^[4]

Ecology

Birds, bears, and small mammals eat the berries. Deer and some livestock forage the foliage.^[5]

Cultivation

The species is cultivated in the specialty horticulture trade with limited availability as an ornamental plant: for natural landscaping, native plant, and habitat gardens; wildlife gardens; and restoration projects.^[6][7] Another cultivated species of similar size and habitats is the evergreen Vaccinium ovatum (evergreen huckleberry).

As a crop plant (along with the other huckleberries of the genus in western North America), it is not currently grown on a large commercial agriculture scale, despite efforts to make this possible.^[8] It requires acidic soil (pH of 4.5 to 6) and does not tolerate root disturbance.^[9]

Uses

Huckleberries can be eaten fresh or dried or prepared as a tea or jelly.^[1][9]

Indigenous peoples of North America—including the Bear River Band, Karok, and Pomo tribes^[10]—found the plant and its fruit very useful.^[1] The bright red, acidic berries were used extensively for food throughout the year. Fresh berries were eaten in large quantities, or used for fish bait because of the resemblance to salmon eggs. Berries were also dried for later use. Dried berries were stewed and made into sauces, or mixed with salmon roe and oil to eat at winter feasts.^[1]

The bark or leaves of the plant were brewed for a bitter cold remedy, made as tea or smoked.^[1] The branches were used as brooms, and the twigs were used to fasten western skunk cabbage leaves into berry baskets.