- Lowbush blueberry
Taxobox
name = Lowbush Blueberry
image_width = 240px
regnum =Plant ae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis =Magnoliopsida
ordo =Ericales
familia =Ericaceae
genus = "Vaccinium "
species = "V. angustifolium"
binomial = "Vaccinium angustifolium"
binomial_authority = AitonLowbush Blueberry ("Vaccinium angustifolium") is a species of
blueberry native to eastern and centralCanada and the northeasternUnited States , growing as far south asWest Virginia and west toMinnesota andManitoba .It is a low spreading
deciduous shrub growing to 60 cm tall, though usually 35 cm tall or less.The leaves are glossy blue-green in summer, turning purple in the fall. The leaf shape is broad to elyptic. Buds are brownish red in stem axels. The
flower s are white, bell-shaped, 5 mm long.The
fruit is a small sweet dark blue to black berry. This plant grows best in wooded or open areas with well-drained acidic soils. In some areas it produces natural blueberry barrens, where it is practically the only species covering large areas.This plant is fire-tolerant and its numbers often increase in an area following a forest fire.
This native plant is also grown commercially in Canada,
Maine , andMassachusetts , mainly harvested from managed wild patches. It is also a favorite of recreational berry pickers, black bears, rodents and birds. The Lowbush Blueberry is the state fruit of Maine.External links
* [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?40981 USDA GRIN profile]
* [http://www.wildblueberries.maine.edu/ Wildblueberries in Maine]
* [http://www.wildblueberries.com/ Wildblueberries Information]
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