Common Name: Highbush Blueberry
Specific Name: Vaccinium corymbosum
Known Occurrence at Taylor Point:
Map areas: Cliffs 2A, Cliffs 2C, Cliffs 2D, Cliffs 2H, Woodlands 3A, Woodland 3B, Bridge 4A
Category: Non-Invasive, Native, Shrub
Ecological Considerations:
Vaccinium corymbosum, commonly known as Highbush Blueberry, is in the Heath family (Ericaceae). It is a native shrub that grows 6 to 12 feet tall, is crown-forming, forms dense colonies, and has warty and yellow-green, glabrous twigs. It’s leaves are deciduous, alternate, simple, narrow to broadly elliptic or ovate, 2-3 inches long. Flowers are white, with 5 petals. Fruits berries are blue to blue- black and many-seeded. The common name refers to the relatively tall stature of these plants.
Map areas where this plant can be used for revegetation:
Vegetated Parking Circle – Cliffs 2F
Propagation Mechanisms/Strategies for Encouraging its Establishment:
Seeds or cuttings can propagate plants of highbush blueberry. Ideal soil for cultivation is moist, high in organic matter, highly acidic (4.5-5.5), and well drained. The plants grow in full sun to partial shade, but those in open sites produce more flowers and have brighter fall foliage color.
Best Planting Practices/Options and Pros and Cons of Options:
Highbush blueberry grows best and most commonly in moist or wet peat of moderate to high acidity – in and around marshes, swamps, and lakes, often with extended flooding, as well as on floodplains, sheltered slopes, and ravines. It also occurs in drier areas – dunes and barrier beaches, rocky hillsides, oak woods, and pine woods.
Key Issues Regarding its Ecology ( e.g. Which Invasives Threaten it, What Conditions Favor it):
Associated Ecological Benefits:
Highbush blueberry produces abundant fruit every year. Bees are the primary pollinator. The seeds may be widely dispersed in bird and mammal droppings, but germination success can be reduced up to 15% after passing through an animal gut.
Availability of Locally Sourced Seeds and Plants:
Evergreen Tree & Landscape
The Farmer’s Daughter
Wildwood Nurseries
Stewart Nursery
Case Studies of Native Plant Establishment Efforts/Lessons Learned:
Additional photos:
Sources cited:
Rhode Island Native Plants
USDA
USDA Plant Guide
Key Words:
Native
Shrub
Vaccinium corymbosum
Highbush Blueberry