3424 



VACCINIUM 



VACCINIUM 



rather dense clusters generally on the leafless summits 

 of twigs; calyx reddish; corolla short-cylindraceous, 

 greenish white, often tinged with red: berries large, 

 with much bloom, of excellent flavor, ripening late with 

 V. canadense. Dry sandy or rocky places, N. E. N. 

 Amer. Em. 1:454. "One of the most common species 

 of the northern and central states, particularly west of 

 the Alleghanies. One of the two commonest upland 

 dwarf blueberries." 



12. hirsutum, Buckl. HAIRY BLUEBERRY. BEAR 

 BLUEBERRY. Fig. 3894. Low shrub, 1-2 ft. high: sts. 

 green, grooved, obscurely 4-angled: branchlets hirsute 

 with spreading white hairs: Ivs. oblong-elliptic to ovate, 

 acute or cuspidate, %-lM in. long, entire, deep green 

 above, paler beneath , pubescent or hirsute on both 

 faces, very short-petioled : racemes few-fld.: ovary, 

 calyx, and corolla densely hirsute; sepals acute; corolla 

 large, ovoid, campanulate, pale or reddish: berries pur- 

 plish black, glandular-hirsute. Shaded mountain 

 slopes, N. C. to Tenn. and Ga. G.F. 2:365 (adapted in 

 Fig. 3894). "This species, discovered about 1840, 

 was lost sight of for half a century until rediscovered by 

 Sargent, and transferred to the Arnold Arboretum. 

 It is readily distinguished by the hairy fls. and fr. The 

 fr. is described as fully as large as that of Gaylussacia 

 baccata, shining black, and of an agreeable flavor. 

 Under cult., it is not so densely hairy as in the wild 

 state. It gives promise of being valuable under cult, 

 as one of the latest of its kind to ripen. At the Arnold 

 Arboretum the period of greatest fruitage is in the 

 middle of Aug., berries remaining into Sept." 



Section III. EUVACCINIUM. Corolla from ovate to globu- 

 lar and more or less urceolate, 4-5-toothed, rose- 

 color or nearly white; filaments glabrous; anthers 

 2-awned on the back, included: ovary and berry 4-5- 

 celled, with no false partitions: Ivs. deciduous: fls. 

 on dropping pedicels, solitary or 2-4 together, 

 developing with or soon after the Ivs. 



A. Fls. 2-4 in a fascicle, from separate 



scaly buds, 4-merous 13. uliginosum 



AA. Fls. solitary, axillary, usually 5- 

 merous. 



B. Branchlets not angled 14. cespitosum 



BB. Branchlets angled. 



c. Shrubs low (1 % ft. or less) 15. Myrtillus 



cc. Shrubs tail (3-6 ft.). 



D. Lvs. serrate: berries blackish, 



without bloom 16. membrana- 



DD. Lvs. entire or nearly so. ! ceum 



E. Berry blue with bloom: hs. 



1-2 in. long 17. ovalifolium 



EE. Berry red: Ivs. J^-%in. long. 18. parvifolium 



13. uliginosum, Linn. BOG BILBERRY. A low spread- 

 ing much-branched shrub, M~1H ft. high: Ivs. thick- 

 ish, obovate or oval, obtuse or retuse, H-l in. long, 

 entire, nearly sessile, pale and glaucous on both sides, 

 slightly pubescent beneath: fls. 2-4 together or some- 

 times solitary; calyx 4-parted, rarely 5-parted; corolla 

 urn-shaped, 2-5-lobed, pink: berries bluish black with a 

 bloom. Arctic and alpine N. Amer., Eu., and Asia. 

 B.B. 2:576. "The plant is useful for the shrubbery 

 border in cold wet acid situations and its fr., though of 

 poor quality, is used for food by the natives of the 

 Northwest." 



14. cespitosum, Michx. DWARF BILBERRY. A 

 dwarf tufted shrub, 3-12 in. high, nearly glabrous 

 throughout: branches rounded: Ivs. M-1H in. long, 

 obovate, cuneate-lanceolate or cuneate-spatulate, nar- 

 rowed at base, obtuse or acutish, serrulate, smooth and 

 shining: fls. solitary, on short axillary peduncles, nod- 

 ding; corolla urceolate, small, slightly 5 (rarely 4) 

 -toothed, pink or red: berries large, blue with bloom, 

 sweet. Gravelly or rocky woods and shores, Maine, 

 Vt., Wis., Col., Calif., and northward; also on alpine 

 summits of New England and N. Y. B.M. 3429. 

 May be used in rock-gardens. 



15. Myrtfllus, Linn. WHORTLEBERRY. BILBERRY. 

 Low glabrous shrub with sharply angled branches: Ivs. 

 J^-%in. long, ovate or oval, serrate, conspicuously 

 reticulate- veined, glabrous, thin and shining: corolla 

 globular ovate ; calyx-limb almost entire : berries black, 

 nodding. Mountainous regions, Eu., Asia, possibly N. 

 Amer. "Generally used as an article of diet and in 

 making of drinks, particularly in the Old World. It is 

 from this species that the common name whortleberry 

 is derived. It is not of much economic importance in 

 Amer." The red-fruited form of the Rocky Mts., and 

 the N. W. has been separated as V. scoptirium, Leiberg, 

 and is so recognized by Piper and by Coulter & 

 Nelson. Its occurrence in the trade is doubtful. 



16. membranaceum, Douglas (V. myrtillmdes, Hook., 

 not Michx.). An erect branching shrub, mostly gla- 

 brous throughout: the twigs slightly angled: Ivs. 1-2 

 in. long, oval, oblong or ovate, acute or obtuse, finely 

 serrate, membranous, reticulate-veined, green above, 

 paler beneath, not shining: calyx-limb entire; corolla 

 depressed-globose, yellowish green or purplish: berries 

 large, oblate, black or purplish black, rather acid. 

 Lake Superior, N. Wyo., westward and northwestward. 



3895. Mountain cranberry. Vacciniurn Vitis-Idaa. 

 ( X about Ji) 



17. ovalifolium, Smith. A slender straggling shrub, 

 3-12 ft. high, with slender, more or less angled branches: 

 Ivs. 1-2 in. long, oval to oblong, glabrous, thin, mostly 

 rounded at both ends, entire or nearly so, pale green 

 above, glaucous beneath: fls. solitary, on short recurved 

 pedicels; calyx minutely 10-toothed; corolla ovoid or 

 globose, urceolate: berries Hin. diam., large, bluish 

 purple with bloom, acid but very good. Moist woods, 

 Que. to Ore. and Alaska. "This species is very abun- 

 dant in the N. W., forming a large part of the under- 

 growth along the southern coast of Alaska. The ber- 

 ries, rather larger than peas, are collected in great 

 quantities by the Indians, who use them fresh and dry 

 them for winter. The exceptionally large berries and 

 vigorous habit of this species suggest its value for cult., 

 and particularly for crossing with the low-growing 

 species." 



18. parvifdlium, Smith. Shrub, 6-12 ft, high, strag- 

 gling, with slender green sharply angled branches: Ivs. 

 J4-/4in. long, oblong or oval, obtuse, entire, dull or 

 pale: pedicels short, nodding in fr.: sepals 5; corolla 

 globular, nearly white: berries bright red, acid, but 

 fine for table use. N. Calif, to Alaska. Not common 

 in cult. 



