Vaccinium deliciosum
Encyclopedia
Vaccinium deliciosum is a species of bilberry
known by the common names Cascade bilberry, Cascade blueberry, and blueleaf huckleberry. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
to Idaho
to northern California
, where it grows at elevation
s of 600 to 2000 meters in subalpine
and alpine climate
s. Its habitat includes coniferous forests and meadows. This is a rhizomatous
shrub
taking a clumpy, matted form, its tangling stem rooting where its nodes touch moist substrate. It may form expansive colonies
. The new green twigs are hairless and waxy. The deciduous
leaves are alternately arranged. The thin oval leaf blades are up to 5 centimeters long. The edges are mostly smooth but may be serrated near the ends. Solitary flowers occur in the leaf axils. Each is 6 or 7 millimeters long, widely urn
-shaped to rounded, and pale pink in color. The fruit is a waxy blue or reddish berry
which may be over a centimeter wide. It is said to be particularly tasty.
Bilberry
Bilberry is any of several species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium , bearing edible berries. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species....
known by the common names Cascade bilberry, Cascade blueberry, and blueleaf huckleberry. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
to northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows at elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
s of 600 to 2000 meters in subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
and alpine climate
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
s. Its habitat includes coniferous forests and meadows. This is a rhizomatous
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
taking a clumpy, matted form, its tangling stem rooting where its nodes touch moist substrate. It may form expansive colonies
Colony (biology)
In biology, a colony reference to several individual organisms of the same species living closely together, usually for mutual benefit, such as stronger defense or the ability to attack bigger prey. Some insects live only in colonies...
. The new green twigs are hairless and waxy. The deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
leaves are alternately arranged. The thin oval leaf blades are up to 5 centimeters long. The edges are mostly smooth but may be serrated near the ends. Solitary flowers occur in the leaf axils. Each is 6 or 7 millimeters long, widely urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
-shaped to rounded, and pale pink in color. The fruit is a waxy blue or reddish berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
which may be over a centimeter wide. It is said to be particularly tasty.