Vaccinium ovatum Pursh
evergreen huckleberry (California huckleberry)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
evergreen huckleberry (California huckleberry)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
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Species Information
General:
Upright, spreading shrub; stems 0.5-3 m tall, young stems minutely hairy.
Leaves:
Alternate, evergreen, leathery, in "horizontal" rows on stems, egg- to narrowly egg-shaped, 2-5 cm long, tips pointed, bright glossy green on the upper surfaces, paler beneath, margins thickened and sharply toothed.
Flowers:
In 3- to 10-flowered axillary clusters; corollas bright pinkish, narrowly bell-shaped, about 7.5 mm long, the lobes short, spreading, and triangular; calyx lobes red, triangular; filaments densely hairy; anthers with long, straight tubes above the pollen sacs, not awned.
Fruits:
Berries, globe-shaped, 4-7 mm wide, deep purplish-black with bloom, or blackish and shining; sweet and edible, but musky flavour.
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
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Purple
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Vaccinium ovatum
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) |
185 | 2 | 1650 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
18 | 0 | 100 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
233 | 10 | 350 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
118 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CWH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CDF(3), CWH(102), ESSF(3), ICH(4), MH(2), SBS(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry to moist, open forests in the lowland and montane zones; frequent in SW BC, rare near Prince Rupert; S to S CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Vaccinium ovatum var. saporosum Jeps.