Vaccinium parvifolium
Encyclopedia
Red Huckleberry is a species of Vaccinium
native to the western North America
, where 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. It occurs mostly at low to middle elevations in soil enriched by decaying wood and on rotten logs, from sea level up to 1820 metres (5,971.1 ft).
shrub
growing to 4 metres (13.1 ft) tall with bright green shoots with an angular cross-section. The leaves
are ovate to oblong-elliptic, 9 millimetre (0.354330708661417 in) to 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long, and 4 millimetre (0.15748031496063 in) to 16 millimetre (0.62992125984252 in) wide, with an entire margin. The flower
s are yellow-white to pinkish-white with pink, decumbent bell-shaped 4 millimetre (0.15748031496063 in) to 5 millimetre (0.196850393700787 in) long. The fruit
is an edible red to blue-black berry
6 millimetre (0.236220472440945 in) to 10 millimetre (0.393700787401575 in) in diameter.
found the plant and its fruit very useful. 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 slight resemblance to salmon eggs. Berries were also dried for later use. Dried berries were stewed and made into sauces, or mixed with salmon spawn and oil and eaten at winter feasts.
The bark of the plant was used as a cold remedy thanks to the therapeutic acid called quinic acid
. The leaves were made into tea or smoked. The branches were used as brooms, and the twigs were used to fasten western skunk cabbage
leaves into berry baskets.
Huckleberries make a good jelly, or can be eaten as dried fruit or tea.
trade with limited availability as an ornamental plant
: for natural landscape
, native plant
, and habitat gardens; and restoration projects. 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 Vaccinium in western North America
) it is not currently grown on a large Commercial agriculture
scale, despite efforts to make this possible. It requires acidic soil (pH
of 4.5 to 6) and does not tolerate root disturbance.
Vaccinium
Vaccinium is a genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the plant Family Ericaceae. The fruit of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry or whortleberry, lingonberry or cowberry, and huckleberry...
native to the western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, where it is common in forests from southeastern Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and 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...
south through western Washington and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
to central 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...
. In the Oregon Coast Range
Oregon Coast Range
The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean...
, it is the most common Vaccinium. It occurs mostly at low to middle elevations in soil enriched by decaying wood and on rotten logs, from sea level up to 1820 metres (5,971.1 ft).
Growth
It is a deciduousDeciduous
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...
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...
growing to 4 metres (13.1 ft) tall with bright green shoots with an angular cross-section. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are ovate to oblong-elliptic, 9 millimetre (0.354330708661417 in) to 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long, and 4 millimetre (0.15748031496063 in) to 16 millimetre (0.62992125984252 in) wide, with an entire margin. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are yellow-white to pinkish-white with pink, decumbent bell-shaped 4 millimetre (0.15748031496063 in) to 5 millimetre (0.196850393700787 in) long. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is an edible red to blue-black 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....
6 millimetre (0.236220472440945 in) to 10 millimetre (0.393700787401575 in) in diameter.
Uses
Indigenous peoplesIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
found the plant and its fruit very useful. 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 slight resemblance to salmon eggs. Berries were also dried for later use. Dried berries were stewed and made into sauces, or mixed with salmon spawn and oil and eaten at winter feasts.
The bark of the plant was used as a cold remedy thanks to the therapeutic acid called quinic acid
Quinic acid
Quinic acid is a cyclitol, a cyclic polyol. It is a crystalline acid obtained from cinchona bark, coffee beans, and other plant products and made synthetically by hydrolysis of chlorogenic acid. Quinic acid is also implicated in the perceived acidity of coffee...
. The leaves were made into tea or smoked. The branches were used as brooms, and the twigs were used to fasten western skunk cabbage
Western Skunk Cabbage
Western Skunk Cabbage , also called Yellow Skunk Cabbage or Swamp Lantern, is a plant found in swamps and wet woods, along streams and in other wet areas of the Pacific Northwest, where it is one of the few native species in the arum family. The plant is called Skunk Cabbage because of the...
leaves into berry baskets.
Huckleberries make a good jelly, or can be eaten as dried fruit or tea.
Cultivation
Vaccinium parvifolium is cultivated in the specialty horticultureHorticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
trade with limited availability as an ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
: for natural landscape
Natural landscaping
.Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are indigenous to the geographic area of the garden.-Maintenance:...
, native plant
California native plants
California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
, and habitat gardens; and restoration projects. 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 Vaccinium in western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
) it is not currently grown on a large Commercial agriculture
Commercial agriculture
Commercial Agriculture refers to a process of large-scale production of crops for sale, intended for widespread distribution to wholesalers or retail outlets. In commercial farming crops such as wheat, maize, tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana, cotton are harvested and sold into world...
scale, despite efforts to make this possible. It requires acidic soil (pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
of 4.5 to 6) and does not tolerate root disturbance.