Vaccinium myrtilloides Michx.
velvet-leaved blueberry (velvetleaf huckleberry)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
velvet-leaved blueberry (velvetleaf huckleberry)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Low shrub, growing in dense colonies; stems up to 40 cm tall, rounded, hairy with very dense, velvety hairs, especially when young.
Leaves:
Alternate, deciduous, thin, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, to 4 cm long, entire, green, softly hairy, tips pointed.
Flowers:
Solitary, or few in terminal clusters, appearing when the leaves are half their mature size; flower stalks shorter than corolla; corollas greenish-white or tinged with pink, cylindric bell-shaped, up to 5 mm long; filaments hairy; anthers awnless.
Fruits:
Berries, up to 10 mm wide, blue, with heavy pale blue bloom; edible and sweet.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Vaccinium myrtilloides
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
909 | 6 | 2300 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
10 | 0 | 80 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
239 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
902 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(125), ESSF(51), ICH(115), IDF(11), MS(34), SBPS(57), SBS(437), SWB(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry to mesic forests and clearings on sandy and rocky soils and hummocks in bogs in the montane zone; frequent in C and SE BC, infrequent in NE BC, rare in SW BC (lower mainland bogs); N to NT, E to NF, and S to MT, IA, and VA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Cyanococcus canadensis (Kalm ex A. Rich.) Rydb.
Vaccinium angustifolium var. myrtilloides (Michx.) House
Vaccinium canadense Kalm ex A. Rich.