Description

Vaccinium Membranaceum 

Great berry bush! The Black Huckleberry is a deciduous shrub that grows to one and half meters tall and has finely toothed leaves that turn purple in the fall. They have small yellow or pinkish flowers in spring that ripen into large purple-black berries. The berries taste great and are eaten by many birds and mammals.

Height: 0.3-1.5 m.

Edible: Y

Medicine:  N

Other Uses: N

Poisonous: N

Soil: Acidic, sandy or rocky

Watering: Moderate to dry

Sun: Part shade

Usually found at: Woodland areas with some shade, and often grow in large patches.

 

Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, egg-shaped to elliptic-oblong, 1.5-6 cm long, (0.6) 1-3 cm wide, gradually narrowing to pointed tip, rounded to tapered at base, margins finely toothed nearly full length

Flowers: Solitary in leaf axils, appearing when or after the leaves expand; flower stalks 5-10 mm long; corollas pale yellowish-pink, urn-shaped

Berries: Berries, globe-shaped, 7-10 mm wide, purple or dark purplish-reddish, without a pale bloom; edible and sweet.

First Nations uses: The berries can be eaten fresh, dried or stored in grease.

 

Note: Native plant sales are pick-up only at Suwa’lkh School (1432 Brunette Ave in Coquitlam). Email suwa’lkh@freshroots.ca for more information.