114 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I9OI. 



In England the common names, as collated by Sturtevant, 

 are : Whorts or Whortleberries and Bilberries ; in France, 

 Airelle, Aurelle, Myrtilles, Myrtilles des bois, Bluete ; or in 

 Brittany Lucets, and in Normandy Mawrets. In Sweden they 

 are called, in Upland, Blabar; in Smoland, Slinner ; in Scania, 

 Bollion ; in Lapland, Zirre and Zerre. In Brabant the usual 

 terms are, Crakebesein, Haverbesein and Postelbesein ; in Ger- 

 many, Heydelbeeren, Bickbeeren, Blawbeeren, Schwartzbeeren ; 

 or for some species, Drunkelbeeren, Rauschbeeren, Grosse 

 Heidelbeeren, Moosheidelbeeren, etc. ; in Italy, Myrtillo ; in 

 Russia, Ticherniza, Pjaniza, Goluble, etc. 1 



DISTRIBUTION. 



The genus includes about 125 species of wide geographic dis- 

 tribution, extending from the Arctic circle to boreal sub-tropical 

 regions, and the high mountains of the tropic^ ; most common 

 in Xorth America and the Himalayas. There are in Xorth 

 America proper about twenty-five species and in Mexico and 

 Central America as many more. The Himalayan region is par- 

 ticularly rich in species many of which are epiphytic. With 

 very few exceptions (e. g. erythrinum in Java and emirnensc in 

 Madagascar) the genus is unrepresented in the southern hemi- 

 sphere and in the lower regions of the tropics. 



The most widely distributed species are, perhaps, Myrtillus 

 and uliginosum, which occur in middle and northern Europe, 

 Asia (except in the central part from the Himalayas to Thian- 

 schan, where all vacciniums are absent), Canada and central 

 North America southward to New York and Colorado, and west- 

 ward to Alaska. Uliginosum, especially, is confined to northern 

 and mountainous regions. Vitis-Idaa, also, has a wide distribu- 

 tion somewhat similar to Myrtillus. It is common in the higher 

 woodlands and mountains of miJJ!e and southern Europe, in 

 America southward to New England, I ake Superior and British 

 Columbia. 



In several places in Germany, as stated by Drude, 2 wild 

 hybrids between the foregoing species and V. intermedium, 

 Ruthe, are not uncommon. The hybrids have evergreen foliage. 



1 Sturtevant, Trans. Mass. Hort. Soc, 1S90, 18. 

 3 Eng. and Prant. Pflanzenfamilien, 4:51. 



