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Vaccinium deliciosum Piper Blue huckleberry, cascade bilberry, cascade huckleberry
Blue huckleberry is native to portions of the west coast of North America. The word "huckleberry" is probably a corruption of hurtleberry or whortleberry, names for English billberries; so settlers were probably naming huckleberries after similar-appearing shrubs from Europe. Hence this generic name for shrubs bearing small, edible berries has been applied to this species, found in the Pacific northwest, as well as Gaylussacia frondosa, found in the eastern and southeastern United States; and to several other species. See the comparison table below. Identification: These deciduous shrubs remain less than 12" (30 cm) high, forming sprawling mats. Leaves are alternate, oblong to egg-shaped, about ⅝-1¼" (1.7-3.5 cm) × ¼-⅝" (9-17 mm), with finely serrated (sometimes smooth) edges. Flowers are pink or red, globose (spherical) or urn-shaped, ⅛-³/₁₆" (4-6 mm) × ⅛-¼" (5-7 mm). They appear from May to July. Berries are blue to dull black, coated with a white waxy powder, ¼-½" (9-13 mm) in diameter. Below are some of the shrubs that bear the name "huckleberry." For a more complete listing of blueberry-like shrubs, see our Vaccinium comparison chart. |
8/27/2007 · South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Oregon |
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Gaylussacia baccata |
Gaylussacia dumosa |
Gaylussacia frondosa |
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| Plant | 12-36" (30-91 cm) in height, with stiff branches that are light brown or greenish when young, changing to gray or black with age. Shrubs are found in colonies. | 12-30" (30-75 cm) in height, and heavily branched. Young twigs are covered with short, curly hairs. | Deciduous, heavily branched, and up to 6½' (2 m) in height. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flowers | Pink, about ⅜" (9.5 mm) in size, and urn-shaped, in racemes. They bloom from May to July. | Bell-shaped, cream-colored, tinged with pink, appearing in June. | Greenish-white. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leaves | Oval, becoming orange/red in the fall. Leaves are coated with gold-colored resin glands. The resin can be seen by rubbing the leaves between your fingers, or on a piece of paper. | 1" (2.5 cm) long, leathery, and obovate to elliptic. | Up to 2½" (7 cm) × 1¼" (3.5 cm), and hairy and glandular on the leaf bottoms. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fruit | Berries contain 10 seeds, fewer than blueberries. | Berries are about ¼" (8 mm) in diameter, each with 10 seeds, fewer than for blueberries. | ¼" (8 mm) in diameter, usually blue, but may be black or even white. Flowers and fruits hang on long petioles. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Habitats | Open woods and thickets; in rocky, sandy soil | Forests, especially pine forests; bogs, bays, wet sandy soil. | Wooded areas near bogs and swamps; acidic soils | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Wild | Wild | Wild | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occurrence | Common | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ID is uncertain 
Vaccinium deliciosum
Vaccinium ovatum
Edibility: Like most other members of the blueberry family, the fruit is good fresh, dried, or cooked, and is high in vitamin C. The species deliciosum testifies to their culinary desirability. They have so far resisted cultivation, or we would all be eating them. Columbia Plateau Indians prepared a mixture of dried berries, pounded salmon, and salmon oil, a combination that was nutritious as well as tasty.
Online References:
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Turner Photographics' Wildflowers site
Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
Vaccinium deliciosum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.
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