oval-leaf blueberry

Photo: Walter Siegmund (talk) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Survives zone 3 through 7

Harvest calendar

Best planted in early spring after your last frost, or in fall before the ground freezes, depending on your climate.

A boreal and subalpine wild blueberry of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, forming dense thickets; the fruit is mildly tart yet sweet and dries to a raisin-like flavor — an important wild food though little grown.

Hardiness

Zone 3–7

Habit

Shrub

Edible part

Fruit

Ripens

July–Sept

Mature size

Deciduous shrub 0.5–2 m, with characteristic pinkish urn-shaped flowers opening before the leaves

Light

Partial to full sun

Soil pH

4.0–5.5 — ⚠ STRICTLY ACID-LOVING (calcifuge). Will die on alkaline soil; use ericaceous compost + rainwater

Environment

Boreal

Native range

Southern Alaska through British Columbia to Oregon, the Idaho panhandle and Montana, with disjunct populations in Upper Michigan and across Canada.

Status

Wild

Years to fruit

2–3 yrs

Growth speed

Slow to establish; wild Alaskan populations have been recorded putting on up to 30 cm of new growth a year under favorable conditions.

Spacing

122 cm (48 in) apart — about 1.5 m² (16 sq ft) per plant

Leaf shape

Thin, oval to elliptical leaves rounded at both ends, smooth or faintly toothed margins, blue-gray underneath.

Root system

Rhizomatous — colonies spread mainly by rhizome sprouts and can persist over a century; dislikes root disturbance or soil compaction.

Fruit description

Round to slightly oblate, bluish-purple to black berries with a distinct whitish bloom, fairly seedy; ripe fruit is firm with a little give and sweeter than some related huckleberries.

Propagation

By seed (warm stratification for about 15 days followed by cold stratification for about 15 days gives 50–60% germination in trials), cuttings, or division; regenerates naturally from basal buds and rhizomes after disturbance.

Pollination

Self-fertile, better with a 2nd cultivar

The edible parts listed above are a starting point, not a field guide. Identify a plant with certainty — ideally against a local authority — before eating any part of it, and read the full disclaimer. Spotted something wrong? Report it.