114 The Ottawa Naturalist. [October 



NOTES ON THE GENUS VACCINIUM. 

 By E. Wilson, Armstrong, B. C. 



The four species here named are in our collection: V. 

 membranaceum, V. ovalifolium, V. Canadense, and V. parvi- 

 folium. 



V. membranaceum was collected in fruit, July 16th, on the 

 mountain side close to Revelstoke, also at Trout Lake, Poplar, 

 Seymour River, and the Horsefly River. This species produces 

 the finest fruit of any of the species collected. The fruit is of a 

 purplish black when ripe and much sweeter than V. Canadense, 

 so common in northern Ontario. It also averages larger in size 

 than V. Canadense, but does not yield so heavily. It is, however, 

 a very heavy producer and is much valued for household use. 

 The plants grow and produce the best in open or thinly wooded 

 places, at between 2,500 and 4,000 feet. I have not often seen 

 it above 4,500 feet. It seems to prefer a drier soil than V. 

 ovalifoliiAm, and also grows less scattered, the plants generally 

 being abundant where it grows, 



V. ovalifolium was collected at the same places as V. mem- 

 branaceum, excepting near the Horsefly River. It, however, 

 grows at a much lower altitude and generally in damper and 

 more shadv places, often in quite heavy timber. It is seen in its 

 best state on the lower benches of the river valleys of the Gold 

 ranges. There it produces heavily, bright-blue berries, much 

 more solid and tart than those of V. membranaceum, but not so 

 large. A peculiarity of the fruit is its ver}^ heavy bloom. The 

 berries are round while those of V. membranaceum have the 

 diameter from calyx to stem much shorter, thus producing a flat 

 berry. The fruit is also more scattered on the bushes and thus 

 more difficult to gather. It hangs on though much longer than 

 that of the other species, thus producing a late fall fruit. The 

 shrub of this species grows often 3 or 4 feet high, and sometimes 

 higher, much higher and more difuse than V. membranaceum. 

 I have never seen it in thick patches, but always scattered thinly 

 over quite large areas. We mav say, then, that V . ovalifolium 

 begins at a much lower altitude than V. membranaceum, goes up 

 with, but drops out before the limit of the latter is reached. 

 The flower of V. ovalifolium is quite a bright pink, while that of 

 V. membranaceum is a yellowish green, sometimes pinkish. 



V. Canadense was collected in two places only, one on a 

 small burned-over area of about an acre at about 2,500 feet 

 altitude at Revelstoke ; the other locality was near the Horsefly 

 River. The plants are much smaller than the eastern type and 

 produce much smaller fruit. It produces, however, as ^heavily 



