CHAPTER XXXV 

 VACCmiACEiE (Huckleberry Family) 



This is a widely distributed family occurring in tropical, 

 temperate, and arctic regions. It is closely related to the 

 heath family {Ericacea) which possesses such well-known 

 plants as kinnikinic {Arclostaphylos uva-ursi), the creeping 

 wintergreen [GauUheria) , American Laurel (Kalmia), Labra- 

 dor tea {Ledum), Azalea, Rhododendron, and trailing arbutus 

 (EpigcBa repens). In the heath family, however, the ovary 

 is superior instead of inferior as in the huckleberry family. 

 There are two important genera from an agricultural stand- 

 point, Vaccinium and Gaylussacia. The former genus 

 includes a rather large number of species grown for their 

 fruit; these take in the bilberry, blueberry, cranberry, 

 huckleberry, and whortleberry. Gaylussacia spp. are known 

 as tangleberry, blue huckleberry, and dangleberry. Gaylus- 

 sacia may be distinguished from Vaccinium by its ten-celled 

 ovary, with one ovule in each cell. In Vaccinium the ovary 

 is four- to fiye-celled, or sometimes eight- to ten-celled by 

 false partitions. 



Habit. — The plants belonging to this group are erect or 

 prostrate shrubs or, in a few instances {e.g., Vaccinium 

 arboreum, the farkleberry) a small tree. Some South 

 American species are epiphytic. 



Leaves. — The leaves are simple, alternate, often thick 

 and leathery and sometimes evergreen, and without stipules. 



Inflorescence and Flowers. — The flowers are soUtary in 

 the leaf axils (as in Chiogenes hispidula, the creeping snow- 



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