Blueberry
| Blueberry | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blueberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Vaccinium myrtillus | ||||||||||||
| L. |
The blueberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus ) is a species from the genus of blueberries ( Vaccinium ) in the heather family (Ericaceae). Their use as soft fruit or forest fruit turns the teeth and tongue blue due to the dark flesh.
The often available on the supermarket trade blueberries on the other hand do not come from the domestic European blueberry, but on the American blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum ) and other North American species. Because their flesh is light-colored, they do not turn blue in the mouth if they are consumed unprocessed.
Names
The blueberry is regionally also called Besinge or Besing, other dialect and regional names are blueberry, blackberry, mollberry, wildberry, forest berry, bickberry, strawberry (Palatinate and Saarland), tickberry, cranberry or (especially also Swiss and southern German) hayberry.
description
_clean,_no-description.jpg)
The 10 to 60 cm high dwarf shrub grows heavily branched with upright, angular to narrowly winged, green-colored branches that are glabrous (hairless). The leaves are 2 to 3 cm long, egg-shaped to elliptical, serrate to finely serrated and grass-green on both sides. The flowers grow individually from leaf axils and are nodding. Their crown is 3.5 to 5 mm long, spherical, jug-shaped and greenish to reddish. They appear from April / May. From July to September, the plants then produce black-blue, flattened, round, individually standing fruits with a maximum diameter of one centimeter, which are ripe blue-gray frosted. The shrub's autumn color begins in late summer - the leaves turn deep red. The blueberry is a woody chamaephyte . In contrast to the related cowberry ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea ), it is not evergreen, but rather deciduous, so it sheds its leaves in the winter months.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.
The shrub reaches an age of up to 30 years. However, through vegetative propagation in the form of runners (root creep) a plant can “indirectly” grow older and cover up to several 1000 m². It is rooted up to a meter deep.
Despite frequent proximity to the lingonberry, hybrids between the two species are rare . This hybrid blueberry ( Vaccinium x intermedium ) stands with its characteristics between the two parent species.
The Eurasian blueberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus ) differs from the American blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum ) in that the coloring anthocyanins are found in the skin as well as in the pulp and are therefore colored blue through and through . When cultured for about 1900 of the American blueberry culture blueberry are the dyes only in the shell which makes it has a bright pulp and does not cause "blue teeth". In addition, the cultivated blueberry is twice to several times the size of the real blueberry and tastes far less aromatic than the wild fruits, but can be stored for longer.
The leaves contain arbutin and hydroquinone (up to 1.5%) and are therefore slightly poisonous.
Occurrence, location requirements
The bilberry is widespread in the Palearctic with a focus on the temperate and northern zones of Eurasia and populates areas from the plains to the mountains (in Austria about 2350 m above sea level ). In the Allgäu Alps, it rises to an altitude of 2200 meters.
It grows as a penumbra plant in species-poor, soil-acidic humus, nutrient-poor and base-poor, fresh deciduous and coniferous forests (especially in pine forests and mountain spruce forests), in bog and mountain heaths in humid climates. It is deep-rooted (up to 1 m) and feeds on raw humus with the help of root fungi ( mycorrhiza ). The plant is sensitive to late frosts; in strong frosts without a protective blanket of snow, it can partially or completely freeze off. The rhizome is generally spared and sprouts again in spring. In the snow protection, however, the blueberry rises to heights of 2350 m.
It is not very tolerant of industrial immissions. It is believed that the plant's root fungus is particularly damaged by sulfur dioxide .
The bilberry is a Piceetalia-order character in Central Europe, but also occurs in societies of the associations Quercion roboris, Genistion, Sphagnion or the sub-association Luzulo-Fagenion.
ecology
The green shoots of the blueberry represent an important source of food for the game in winter. Their fruits are particularly valued by animal species that are less likely to get hold of tree and bush fruits, such as the capercaillie and the fox.
The caterpillars of numerous species of butterflies use the bilberry as a forage plant. B. the endangered willow hen , the equally rare Augsburg bear , the endangered roller-winged wooden owl , the rare mountain ash leaf moth and the ancient moth species Micropterix aureatella .
The naked basidia species Exobasidium arescens and Exobasidium myrtilli can attack blueberries. The former forms small, pale leaf spots that soon dry up. Exobasidium myrtilli affects the entire plant (systemic). The leaves are then usually enlarged and can be pale green or bright red. It occurs both in the mountains and in the coastal area. The common fungus Valdensia heterodoxa forms brown spots on the leaves in its secondary fruit form , it forms large star-shaped conidia . The blueberry is also attacked by the rust fungus Naohidemyces vaccinii with uredia and parts .
ingredients
See table on the right.
| Nutritional value per 100 g of blueberries | |
|---|---|
| Calorific value | 176 kJ (42 kcal) |
| water | 84.8 g |
| protein | 0.6 g |
| carbohydrates | 7.4 g |
| - fiber | 4.9 g |
| fat | 0.6 g |
| - polyunsaturated | 0.4 g |
| Vitamins and minerals | |
| Vitamin A | 6.0 µg |
| Vitamin B 1 | 0.0 mg |
| Vitamin B 2 | 0.0 mg |
| Vitamin B 6 | 0.1 mg |
| Vitamin B 9 | 3.0 µg |
| vitamin C | 30.0 mg |
| Vitamin E. | 1.9 mg |
| Calcium | 13.0 mg |
| iron | 0.7 mg |
| magnesium | 2.0 mg |
| sodium | 1.0 mg |
| phosphorus | 13.0 mg |
| potassium | 73.0 mg |
| zinc | 0.1 mg |
Economic use
Blueberries are a popular variety of berries for human consumption. They can be eaten fresh or used in the kitchen. Due to the anthocyanins they contain, they color the mouth and teeth red to blue when consumed. Anthocyanins in the blueberry are also responsible for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
You are warned against eating unwashed blueberries that you have picked yourself because of the possible adhesion of fox tapeworm eggs . If you want to eliminate this risk, you should cook the berries. Harvested blueberries do not keep very long.
Dishes made from or with blueberries are for example blueberry compote, blueberry jam , blueberry ice cream , blueberry cake, yeast dumplings with blueberries and blueberry pancakes. They can also sometimes be found in the Rote Grütze .
A tool for harvesting blueberries is the blueberry comb or bilberry comb, also known locally as the raffle. It is a box with a comb attached. The blueberry bushes are rubbed with the rasp, and the berries fall into the box. However, this method tears off both ripe and unripe fruits and leaves and can damage the plant.
World production
In 2018, the world harvest was 682,789 tons, although the relevant statistics are not broken down by specific species. The country with the largest production of blueberries in the world was the United States , which produced 37.4% of the world's crop. The ten largest producing countries brought in around 97.5% of the world harvest.
The ten largest blueberry producers in 2018 were:
| Country of production | Amount in t |
|---|---|
 United States
|
255.050 |
 Canada
|
164.205 |
 Peru
|
94,805 |
 Spain
|
43,516 |
 Mexico
|
40,251 |
 Poland
|
25,301 |
 Germany
|
12,764 |
 Portugal
|
10,638 |
 Netherlands
|
10,257 |
 France
|
9,127 |
Use as a medicinal plant
The dried, ripe fruits or the fresh or frozen fruits serve as medicinal drugs . Furthermore the dried leaves.
Main active ingredients: In the fruits catechin tannins , dimeric proanthocyanidins , anthocyanidins (such as astragaline ), flavonoids , caffeoylic acids , fruit acids , pectins , invert sugar .
In the leaves, in addition to tannins, iridoids , phenol carboxylic acids , a small amount of quinolizidine alkaloids , arbutin and hydroquinone at most in traces, a relatively high content of chromium and manganese. There are no recent studies on the previously mentioned “glucokinin” neomyrtilin .
Application: Due to their tannin content and pectins, the dried berries are a popular folk remedy for diarrhea , as is the blueberry wine made with red wine. Fresh fruits consumed in large quantities, on the other hand, have a laxative effect.
The diluted juice or 10% decoctions can be used as a gargle for mild inflammation in the mouth and throat. The isolated anthocyanidins have a capillary sealing effect in the case of pathological capillary fragility, e.g. B. in diabetes , and they are used in finished preparations against retinal diseases and disorders of night and twilight vision, for epithelial regeneration in gastric and intestinal ulcers, externally for scarring wounds. During the Second World War, the English bomber pilots were given blueberry preparations hours before they took off for Germany in order to improve their ability to see at night.
In folk medicine, blueberry leaves are considered to lower blood sugar, without any antihyperglycemic substance having been detected. Whether the chromium content of the leaves is responsible for such an effect still needs further investigation. Since symptoms of poisoning can occur with prolonged use and the effectiveness has not been proven, the use of preparations made from blueberry leaves is not recommended.
Others
According to the Roman writer Pliny , the dye of the blueberry was used to dye the clothes of slaves.
Eggesin in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is nicknamed the "blueberry town". A memorial in honor of the blueberry has stood in the center since 2002, and pictures, textiles, ceramics, turned motifs and jams made from blueberries play a major role at the traditional blueberry festival in mid-July. A blueberry queen is also chosen annually.
Whether the city of Heidelberg owes its name to the blueberry, is etymologically at least controversial. A bracket form from Heidel [beer] berg would be conceivable, among other possibilities for the origin of the name.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Overview by Gisela Schmidt , "Feinschmecker-Fahrt: Guten Appetit", on vegetarismus.ch
- ↑ Lackowitz, W .: Flora of Berlin and Brandenburg province. Friedberg & Mode, Berlin 1911, page 107
- ↑ Heinrich Marzell , Heinz Paul: Dictionary of German plant names. Vol. 4. Stuttgart / Wiesbaden 1979, p. 952. (Reprint: Parkland, Cologne 2000)
- ↑ Badische folklore, 13.K
- ↑ a b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp. 732 .
- ↑ Ingredients from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database ( Memento of the original dated November 14, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 2, IHW, Eching 2004, ISBN 3-930167-61-1 , p. 309.
- ↑ Sven Gunnar Ryman, Ingmar Holmåsen: mushrooms . Bernhard Thalacker Verlag, Braunschweig 1992, ISBN 3-87815-043-1 , p. 72.
- ↑ Valdensinia heterodoxa ( Memento from July 18, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), forst.tu-muenchen
- ↑ Peter Zwetko: The rust mushrooms Austria. Supplement and host-parasite directory to the 2nd edition of the Catalogus Florae Austriae, III. Part, Book 1, Uredinales. (PDF; 1.8 MB).
- ↑ German Society for Nutrition e. V. - DGE
- ↑ JA Joseph: Reversing the deleterious effects of aging on neuronal communication and behavior: beneficial properties of fruit polyphenolic compounds. In: The American journal of clinical nutrition. Bethesda, 81.2005,1-S, pp. 313S-316S. PMID 15640496 . ISSN 0002-9165
- ↑ a b Crops> Blueberries. In: Official FAO production statistics for 2018. fao.org, accessed on April 22, 2020 .
- ↑ Pliny: Naturalis historia. Vol. 16. Artemis & Winkler, Munich 1991, 31, 77, ISBN 3-7608-1596-0 .
- ^ Manfred Niemeyer (editor): German place names book. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / Boston 2012. ISBN 978-3-11-025802-8 , entry Heidelberg , by Jörg Riecke. P. 251.
literature
- Heinz Ellenberg : Pointer values of the vascular plants of Central Europe. (Scripta Geobotanica. Vol. 9). 2nd Edition. Erich Goltze, Göttingen 1979, DNB 800160002 .
- Henning Haeupler, Thomas Muer: picture atlas of the fern and flowering plants of Germany . Ed .: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (= The fern and flowering plants of Germany . Volume 2 ). Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3364-4 .
- Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora . With the collaboration of Theo Müller. 6th, revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1990, ISBN 3-8001-3454-3 .
- Ursula Stichmann-Marny, Erich Kretschmar, Wilfried Stichmann: The cosmos animal and plant guide . Kosmos, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-440-09765-X .
- Ben-Erik van Wyk, Coralie Wink, Michael Wink: Handbook of Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Guide. Knowledge Verl.-Ges., Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8047-2069-2 .
- Birgit Frohn: Lexicon of medicinal plants and their active ingredients. Weltbild, Augsburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-89897-354-0 , pp. 237-240.
- Ingrid and Peter Schönfelder: The new book of medicinal plants. Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, 2011, ISBN 978-3-440-12932-6 .
- Lutz Roth, Max Daunderer, Kurt Kormann: Poisonous plants plant poisons. 6th edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-86820-009-6 .
- Peter and Rolf Reutter: Odenwälder Heidelbeeren, Kleine Reihe der Geschichtsblätter (7) 2003, Ed .: Working group of history and local history associations in the Bergstrasse district, Heppenheim 2003, ISBN 3-922781-55-1
Web links
- Blueberry. In: FloraWeb.de.
- Blueberry . In: BiolFlor, the database of biological-ecological characteristics of the flora of Germany.
- Vaccinium myrtillus L. In: Info Flora , the national data and information center for Swiss flora . Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- Map for worldwide distribution in: linnaeus.nrm.se
- Thomas Meyer: Data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia )
- The bilberry as a medicinal plant
