Vaccinium uliginosum (Bog huckleberry)

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Vaccinium uliginosum L.

Bog huckleberry, bog bilberry, northern bilberry, bog blueberry, alpine blueberry

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Ericales	Tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, azalea, many others
Family	Ericaceae	Heath or heather family
Genus	Vaccinium	Ancient Latin name for billberry
Species	uliginosum	“Found in swampy areas”

About plant names...

These blueberries are found in North America, as well as Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia, and Europe.

Identification: Shrubs are 20-39" (50-100 cm) high. When found on mountains, shrubs are usually 4-6" (10-15 cm) high. Leaves are obovate to elliptic to oblong, ⅜-1" (1-3 cm) × ⅛-½" (6-15 mm). Flowers are pink (really white/pink striped), urn-shaped. They appear in June. Berries are dark blue and covered with a waxy whitish coating.

This Vaccinium comparision chart also includes a couple of similar-appearing species that are not Vaccinium.

Edibility: Delicious. Headaches have been reported after eating large quantities of the fruit, but this may be a result of fungal contamination.

Online References:

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Wikimedia Commons

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

EFloras

Vaccinium occidentale A. Gray

Vaccinium uliginosum L. ssp. alpinum (Bigelow) Hultén

Vaccinium uliginosum L. var. alpinum Bigelow

Vaccinium uliginosum L. ssp. gaultherioides (Bigelow) S.B. Young