Shrubs of Treehaven - Velvet-leaf Blueberry

Velvet-Leaf Blueberry Vaccinium myrtilloides

Foliage Type: leaf Arrangement: simple, alternate

Distinguishing features:

deciduous shrub with many branches growing 8 inches to 2 feet high
branchlets - densely velvety with whitish hairs
leaves - 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, short-stalked, narrowly ellipitic to oblong lance-shaped, pointed at both ends
leaves - untoothed on margin, thin in texture, green and somewhat downy above, densely downey beneath with pale hairs
flowers - greenish-white or pinkish, bell-shaped in dense clusters, blooming May or June
fruit - blue, with a white bloom, 1/4 to 3/8 inch in diameter, ripening June and August

Habitats:

mesic sites
wet mesic sites (prefers cool moist woods & wetlands)

Often confused with:

Large Cranberry
Leatherleaf

Ecological Value:

fruits eaten by grouse
browsed by deer, rabbits
man, birds and mammals compete for the fruit.

Did You Know?

blueberries are high in sugar and low in fat (not a superior nutrition source)
blueberry picking is and has been continually been a popular recreational activity.
blueberry seeds are so small that they pass through a species' digestive tract and get scattered on the ground.

Uses / Ethnobotanical uses:

American Indians used the leaf for a tea which acted as a blood purifier.
Used for colic, labor pains, and as a tonic after miscarriage.
Fumes of burning dried flowers were inhaled for madness.

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Last updated on September 30, 2001.

Please send any suggestions or corrections to H. Knodle

Habitats:	mesic sites wet mesic sites (prefers cool moist woods & wetlands)
Often confused with:	Large Cranberry Leatherleaf
Ecological Value:	fruits eaten by grouse browsed by deer, rabbits man, birds and mammals compete for the fruit.
Did You Know?	blueberries are high in sugar and low in fat (not a superior nutrition source) blueberry picking is and has been continually been a popular recreational activity. blueberry seeds are so small that they pass through a species' digestive tract and get scattered on the ground.
Uses / Ethnobotanical uses:	American Indians used the leaf for a tea which acted as a blood purifier. Used for colic, labor pains, and as a tonic after miscarriage. Fumes of burning dried flowers were inhaled for madness.