Scientific Name:
Vaccinium corymbosum
Pronunciation:
vack-SIN-ee-um kore-im-BOE-sum
Common Name:
highbush blueberry
Family Name:
Ericaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Stems are reddish-brown; leaves are waxy and slightly serrated; flowers white, urn-shaped; fruit - typical blue berries. Winter ID: twigs pubescent, reddish-brown; buds glabrous, scales tips pointed, claw-like.
Habit:
Arching, Dense, Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Origin:
Canada - eastern (eastern North America, Naturalized In BC)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects, Attract birds, Mixed shrub border, Urban agriculture
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include
V. 'Bluecrop',
V. 'Duke',
V. 'Northland'',
V. 'North Sky',
V. 'Reka', and
V. 'Patriot' (only to 1.3m tall). Compare to European blueberry.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Red
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Entire, Serrulate
Inflorescence Type:
Raceme
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Urceolate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
White
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
Flowers are urn-shaped, and droop downward.
Fruit Type:
Berry (true), Edible
Fruit Colour:
Blue, Black
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Edible, Botanically a false berry due to the inferior ovary (calyx opposite the pedicel like in pomes and the floral tube forms a thin layer of accessory tissue over the exocarp)
Bark or Stem Colour:
Red, Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Propagation:
Cuttings, Grafting
Pest Susceptibility:
Virus (Drought tolerant)
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
- Level 4 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (CGW) Community Garden West
- (NRY) NuRserY : poly 5