Vaccinium elliottii

Elliott's blueberry
Plant in flower
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Tribe: Vaccinieae
Genus: Vaccinium
Section: Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus
Species:
V. elliotti
Binomial name
Vaccinium elliotti
Synonyms[1]
  • Cyanococcus elliottii (Chapm.) Small

Vaccinium elliottii (Elliott's blueberry) is a species of Vaccinium in the blueberry group (Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus). It is native to the southeastern and south-central United States.

Description

Vaccinium elliottii is a deciduous shrub 2–4 m (6+1⁄2–13 ft) tall, with small, simple ovoid-acute leaves 15–30 mm (5⁄8–1+1⁄8 in) long with a finely serrated margin. The flowers are pale pink, bell-shaped, 6–8 mm (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) long, opening in the early spring before the new leaves appear.

The fruit is an edible berry 5–8 mm diameter. There are two variants one having tart shiny blue black berries and the other sweeter type having a whitish waxy bloom over the otherwise blue black berries; they ripen from late spring (in Florida) through summer (in Arkansas and Virginia). Chromosome count 2n=24.[2]

  • Leaves
    Leaves
  • Plant with unripe berries
    Plant with unripe berries

Distribution and habitat

It is native to the southeastern and south-central United States, from southeastern Virginia south to Florida, and west to Arkansas and Texas.

V. elliottii has been observed in habitat types such as mixed hardwood forests, swampy woodlands, floodplains, and longleaf pine ridges.[3]

Uses

Vaccinium elliottii produces a particularly large yield of somewhat sour berries. It is popular for late-season fruit.

See also

References

  1. ^ Tropicos, Vaccinium elliottii Chapm.
  2. ^ "Vaccinium elliottii detail". FSUS. 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  3. ^ Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2023. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Tom Barnes, C. Chapman, James P. Gillespie, R. K. Godfrey, Gary R. Knight, R. Kral, H. Kurz, Sidney McDaniel, Richard S. Mitchell, and Camm Swift. States and counties: Florida: Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Jackson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Wakulla, Walton, Santa Rosa, and Washington.
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