X8 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Plants of the genus Vaccinium {V. myrtillus, L.) seem to have 

 been called Myrtillus by the Latin writers of the middle ages, and 

 the fruit Myrtle-berry by the apothecaries. Prior, in his " Popular 

 names of British Plants," 1870, p. 121, derives Whortleberry as 

 a corruption from M^Ttleberry, and Hurtleberry and Huckleberry 

 in turn as corruptions of Whortleberry. Others derive the name 

 Whortleberry from the Anglo-Saxon heort-berg, hart-berry, or as 

 we should now say deer-berry. Tusser mentions hurtil-berries 

 amongst the fruits of his time Later, in 1586, Lyte's Dodoens 

 says the true English name for Vaccinium myrtillus, L., and F". 

 Vitis-Idcea, L., are " whorts, of some whortel berries." Gerarde, 

 in his editions of 1597 and 1636, gives the English names for V. 

 myrtillus, L., as " Whortes, Whortle-berries, Blacke Berries, Bill 

 Berries and Bull Berries, and in some places Winberries." Park- 

 inson, in 1640, says : " and we Whorts or Whortle berrys, and Bill 

 berries with us about London." The word Bill-berry also takes 

 on the frequent form of Blae-berr^-, and the occasional form of 

 Bull-berry. 



A satisfactory explanation of the word liucMeherry and a record 

 of an early use of the word blueberry I have yet to find. The 

 word huckleberry does not occur in an3' English author I have 

 consulted except in those of very recent date. Both words occur 

 in Bigelow's " Flora ef Boston," 1814, and the first in the index to 

 Pursh's Flora of the same date. Neither occurs in Eaton's Botany 

 of 1840. 



The species of North American representatives of our two 

 genera, which are recorded as bearing edible fruits, are : 



Gaylussacia dumosa, T. and G. 

 " frondoaa, T. and G. 



" resinosa, T. and G. 



" ursina, T. and G. 



of the Province and County of VTest New Jersey,' by Gabriel Thomas (London, 1698). 

 In another essay by the same author ' of the Province and County of Pensilvania' (sic) 

 of the same date, we find Hartleberries. Hartleberry is simply a changed pronuncia- 

 tion of Whortleberry, which again is a corruption of Myrtleberry. The early use of 

 the word Huckleberry may be found in Beverly's Virginia (1705) where we also find 

 Hurts ; and in a ' Description of South Carolina' (1710). Wood in his ' New England's 

 Prospect ' (1629) has Hurtleberry; so in a ' Narrative of the Colonies of Carolina and 

 Georgia,' by Tailpe and others (1741.) 



" 'Common folks ' when they hear a plant name which they do not understand, are 

 apt to twist it into all manner of shapes, and pay no attention to the laws of letter 

 changes formulated by Grimm. Huckleberry is an American name. The corruption 

 from Hurtleberry is very easy by dropping the first r, i. e. Hutleberry." 



