3(2). Inflorescence clearly elongate, racemose; sepals imbricate (at least in bud); 



capsule ovoid, truncate, the margins not differentiated...!. Leucothoe 

 3. Inflorescence of corymbose clusters in axils of leaves or bracts of the same or 



preceding season; sepals valvate or separated even in bud; capsule 



subglobose-compressed. the carpel midrib not differentiated 



4. Lyonia 



1. Vaccinium L. Blueberry 



Shrubs or small trees; leaves alternate, entire to serrate; flowers usually solitary, 

 in clusters or racemes; corolla variously shaped, the limb 4- or 5-cleft; stamens 8 

 or 10; anthers awned on back or awnless. the cells opening by a terminal pore; 

 berry 4- or 5-celled, many-seeded, sometimes 8- or lO-celled by false partitions 

 extending from the back of each cell to the placenta, edible in most species. 



A large genus of polymorphic species that are represented throughout the world. 

 The edible fruits of several species provide the "blueberry" of the market place. 



The fruit of these plants, a much-appreciated item in the human diet, is one of 

 the most important foods for songbirds, some game birds and animal life. The 

 plants are also browsed by deer, rabbits and domestic stock. The species are 

 worthy of cultivation, not only to attract and feed wildlife but because of their 

 ornamental attractiveness. 



1. Flowers on specialized lateral branches, subtended by foliaceous bracts (2) 



1. Flowers not on specialized branches, usually at the first nodes of a normal 



leafy branch ( 3 ) 



2(1). Bracts of inflorescence conspicuously smaller than the foliage leaves, rarely 



more than 1 cm. wide; mature leaves rarely less than 5 cm. long 



1. V . stamineum. 



2. Bracts of inflorescence one half to nearly as large as the foliage leaves, 1-2 cm. 



wide; mature leaves to 5 cm. long 2. V. caesium. 



3(1). Lower surface of leaves bearing small glandular hairs (4) 



3. Lower surface of leaves nonglandular ( 5 ) 



4(3). Plants mostly less than 10 dm. high; leaves 3-4.5 (rarely 5) cm. long; 

 corolla 6-9 mm. long 3. V. virgatum. 



4. Plants 15 dm. or more high; leaves 4-5 (rarely 6.5) cm. long; corolla 9-12 mm. 



long 4. V. amoenum. 



5(3). Leaves serrate, rarely more than 3 cm. long 5. V. Elliottii. 



5. Leaves entire, rarely less than 5 cm. long 6. V. arkansanum. 



1. Vaccinium stamineum L. Deerberry, squaw-huckleberry. 



Diffusely branched shrub to 3 m. high, commonly stoloniferous, the young 

 branchlets and leaves more or less pubescent to essentially glabrous; leaves sub- 

 sessile or with a petiole to 3 mm. long, ovate or oblong-elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate 

 or elliptic-oblanceolate, subcordate to rounded or cuneate at base, obtuse to acute 

 and apiculate at apex, to 9 cm. long and 4 cm. wide, pale, often glaucous or 

 whitened beneath; flowers 6-10 mm. long, in loose bracted racemes, pendulous on 

 filiform pedicels about 1 cm. long; floral bracts similar to but usually much smaller 

 than the foliage leaves, obtuse to acute, usually much less than 1 cm. wide; calyx 

 glabrous or the lobes marginally ciliate; corolla white to greenish-white or purplish, 

 open-campanulate, with 5 spreading lobes; anthers much-exserted, their awns much 

 shorter than the tubular tips; berry juicy, tough-skinned, greenish to amber-color, 

 sometimes purple or blue, with or without bloom, about 1 cm. in diameter, drop- 

 ping promply; seeds soft. Pohcodium stamineum (L.) Greene. 



In sandy or clayey soils in pinelands, mixed forests, wet savannahs and bottom- 

 lands in Okla. (Waterfall) and s.e. Tex., rarely on wooded bluffs in n.e. Tex. 



1269 



