Vaccinium parvifolium
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Vaccinium parvifolium ( "Red Huckleberry" ) is a species from the genus of blueberries ( Vaccinium ) that is native to western North America.
distribution and habitat
Vaccinium parvifolium grows widespread in forests from southeast Alaska and southern British Columbia across the western parts of Washington and Oregon south to central California , mostly at low to medium altitudes (0–1,820 m) on soils that contain rotting or decomposed wood . It is the most common type of vaccinium in the Oregon Coast Range .
features
These are deciduous shrubs with a height of up to four meters with light green shoots, which have an angular cross-section. The leaves are elliptical to oblong-elliptical, 9–30 mm long and 4–16 mm wide and have a smooth edge. The flowers are yellow-white to rosy-white with pink, compressed bell-shaped and 4–5 mm long. The fruit is an edible red to orange berry with a diameter of six millimeters.
use
The Indians valued the plant because of its versatility. The bright red sour berries were used extensively as food all year round. Fresh berries were eaten in large quantities or used as fishing bait because they have a certain resemblance to salmon eggs. Berries were also dried for later use. Dried berries were braised and used as an ingredient in sauce or - mixed with salmon roe and oil - consumed as a festival food in winter.
A bitter cold remedy was brewed from the bark and leaves, made into tea or smoked. The branches were made into brush brooms, while the twigs were used to pin the leaves of the American skunk cabbage in berry baskets.
The huckleberries can be eaten fresh or dried or made into tea or fruit jelly .
Cultivation
Vaccinium parvifolium is cultivated as an ornamental plant in specialized nurseries: for use in landscaping , in plantations of native species (especially in California) and in wild gardens as well as in renaturation projects . Another equally cultivated species of similar size and habitats is Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry).
As a useful plant, it is currently not used in intensive agriculture (like the other vaccinium huckleberries in western North America) , although there have been efforts to do so. The species requires acidic soils ( pH 4.5–6) and does not tolerate disturbances in the root area.
gallery
Freshly unfolded leaves
blossoms
blossoms
Leaves with fruit
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jim Pojar, Andy MacKinnon: Plants Of The Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska . Lone Pine Publishing, Auburn, WA 2004, ISBN 978-1-55105-530-5 , p. 105.
- ↑ a b c d e f Holm FG: The Natural History of Vaccinium parvifolium Smith, the Red Huckleberry . The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington. May 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
- ↑ a b Vaccinium parvifolium . In: Plants for a Future . Retrieved November 25, 2014.
- ^ Vaccinium parvifolium . California Native Plant Link Exchange. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
- ^ Vaccinium parvifolium . Jepson Horticultural Database. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
- ^ Information on Huckleberry Plants . Northwest Berry & Grape Information Network. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
