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Vaccinium occidentalis

Common name:	Western Blueberry	Family:	Ericaceae
Author:	A.Gray.	Botanical references:	71, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America - British Columbia to California.
Habitat:	Wet meadows and wet places, 1500 - 3300 metres in California[71].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	V. occidentale[B,G,L,P] V. uliginosum[B,CPHOTO,CAL,CAL,,C,DUTCH,E,G,H,HPIC,HORTIPLEX,L,Smap,Stz,P] V. uliginosum ssp. alpinum[B,P] V. uliginosum ssp. gaultherioides[B,P] V. uliginosum ssp. microphyllum[B,P] V. uliginosum ssp. occidentale[B,P] V. uliginosum ssp. pedris[B,P] V. uliginosum ssp. pubescens[B,P] V. uliginosum subsp. occidentale[G] V. uliginosum var. alpinum[B,P] V. uliginosum var. occidentale[B,P] V. uliginosum var. salicinum[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Alpine Blueberry [L,B], Arandano Negro [E], Bataklik Cayuzumu [E], Blueberry, Western [S], Bog Bilberry [L,H,E], Bog Blueberry [L,FEIS,P], Northern Bilberry [H], Rijsbes [D], Western Blueberry [S], Western Huckleberry [L],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	occidentalis = of the west
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ericales. Heath family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Europe Spain Turkey

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub. It is hardy to zone 6. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist or wet soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[105, 161, 172]. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a moist but freely-draining lime free soil, preferring one that is rich in peat or a light loamy soil with added leaf-mould[11, 200]. Prefers a very acid soil with a pH in the range of 4.5 to 6, plants soon become chlorotic when lime is present. Succeeds in full sun or light shade though it fruits better in a sunny position[200]. Requires shelter from strong winds[200].
Closely related to, and perhaps no more than a sub-species of, V. uliginosum[60].
Dislikes root disturbance, plants are best grown in pots until being planted out in their permanent positions[200].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse in a lime-free potting mix and only just cover the seed[78]. Stored seed might require a period of up to 3 months cold stratification[113]. Another report says that it is best to sow the seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe[200]. Once they are about 5cm tall, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August in a frame[78]. Slow and difficult.
Layering in late summer or early autumn[78]. Another report says that spring is the best time to layer[200]. Takes 18 months[78].
Division of suckers in spring or early autumn[113].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Vaccinium occidentale (a possible synonym).

References for Vaccinium uliginosum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Vaccinium uliginosum subsp. occidentale (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for vaccinium uliginosum (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Ericaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data for parts of family Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
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