VACCINIUM 97 



St. Paul, it is also reported near Duluth. Flowers in May and June, fruit 

 ripe in late summer. 



Vaccinium L i n n e 1753 

 (V a c c i n i u m, L. name for blueberry) 



Shrubs, sometimes semi-herbaceous ; leaves alternate, deciduous or 

 evergreen, in the latter case leathery; flowers solitary in the axils of the 

 leaves or in the terminal or lateral racemes, sepals 5 (or 4) united at the 

 base and fused with the ovary, corolla of 5 (or 4) united petals variously 

 shaped, stamens 10 (or 8), anthers with or without awns, prolonged up- 

 ward into two tubes and opening by apical pores, pistil of 5 (or 4) 

 united parts, ovary inferior 5- (or 4-) celled, or by false partitions 

 10- (or 8-) celled, each cell with several ovules, style straight, stigma 

 small; fruit a many-seeded berry. 



A genus of over a hundred species distributed throughout the boreal 

 regions and thence southward into the warm temperate regions and the 

 mountainous parts of the tropics. Several of the subgenera are often 

 regarded as genera. 



Key to Sections of genus Vaccinium 



1. Leaves deciduous, corolla cylindrical, bell- 



shaped, jug-shaped, or globular 



a. Anthers awned, berry 4- or 5-celled Eu-vaccinium 



b. Anthers not awned, berry 8- or 10-celled Cyanococcus 



2. Leaves leathery and evergreen 



a. Corolla bell-shaped, petals plainly united Vitis-Idaea 



b. Corolla consisting of reflexed, nearly sepa- y 



rate petals Oxycoccus 



Key to the Species 



Eu-vaccinium Billberries 



Free limb of calyx collar-like, often with scarcely any lobes, corolla 

 bell-shaped, or globular, stamens included, anthers awned, berry 4- or 

 5-celled, blue, black, or red, leaves deciduous. 



( 1 ) Parts of the flower mostly in fours, leaves 



entire, thick V. uliginosum 



(2) Parts of the flower in fives, leaves serrate, 



thin V. caespitosum 



