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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Vaccinium pallidum | Hillside Blueberry
 

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BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SPECIES: Vaccinium pallidum | Hillside Blueberry
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : Hillside blueberry is a variable, erect, deciduous shrub that commonly reaches 9 to 21 inches (23-51 cm) in height [14,48,61]. On some sites, plants reach maximum heights of only 3 inches (8 cm), but on extremely favorable sites, individuals may grow to 39 inches (100 cm) [61]. This rhizomatous shrub forms small to extensive colonies [14,61]. The terete to slightly angled twigs are pale green, reddish, yellow, or pale gray [33,48,48,53]. The variable twigs are glabrous to pubescent [58]. Stem morphology has been examined in detail [45]. Smooth, slightly ridged bark is greenish-brown or red [53]. Roots are finely textured [20]. The simple, alternate leaves are variable in both color and morphology [53]. Leaves are ovate, obovate, spatulate, or broadly elliptic and 0.8 to 2.3 inches (2.0-6 cm) in length [48,58]. Margins are entire, minutely serrulate, or ciliate [53,58]. The glabrous upper surface is yellow-green, pale green, or dark blue green, whereas leaves are paler and glaucous to pubescent beneath [25,58,61]. Leaves turn scarlet or crimson in the fall [33]. Cylindric to urceolate-campanulate inflorescences are borne in groups of 4 to 11 on axillary or terminal racemes [25,48,58]. The perfect flowers are pink, greenish-white, or occasionally white [53,61] and average 0.25 inch (6 mm) in length [33]. Floral morphology has been reported in detail [46]. Fruit is a sweet, juicy, globular berry 0.2 to 0.5 inch (4-12 mm) in diameter [25,33,48,58]. Average berry weight has been estimated at approximately 0.01 ounce (0.28 g) [3]. Berries are blue and glaucous to black and shiny [25,61]. White-fruited forms, although rare, have also been reported [33]. Each berry contains 8 to 14 variable, irregular seeds [25,53]. Of this number, approximately four are viable [63]. Viable seeds tend to be brown or reddish-brown [25,53]. The glossy, pitted seeds average 0.04 to 0.06 inch (1-1.6 mm) in length [53]. RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : Chamaephyte REGENERATION PROCESSES : Hillside blueberry can regenerate through seed or by vegetative means. Seed: In some areas, fruit is produced in abundance [33,53], but elsewhere yields are more often small [16]. Vander Kloet and Austin-Smith [63] reported that plants produce fruit "en masse" in the Appalachians and Ozarks but produce fruit sporadically near the Atlantic Coast. Little is known about specific germination requirements. Radicles generally emerge within 13 days, dicotyledons develop within 23 days, and true leaves are produced within 38 days after planting [60]. The seeds of most blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) germinate only on good sites in favorable years. Ballington and others [4] observed only a few surviving hillside blueberry seedlings. Vegetative regeneration: Hillside blueberry spreads by means of rhizome expansion to form extensive colonies [43,61]. Plants sprout readily from underground rhizomes after aboveground vegetation is damaged or destroyed. Most rhizomes are concentrated in the top 1.9 inches (5 cm) of the A horizon of the soil, but some extend to depths of 6 inches (15 cm) [10]. Buds nearest the stem apex typically sprout first after disturbance [10]. SITE CHARACTERISTICS : Hillside blueberry grows on dry, rocky hillsides, upland ridges, rocky outcrops and ledges, sandy knolls, and in shale barrens [14,58,61,53]. It commonly occurs on a variety of disturbed sites, such as abandoned pastures and farmlands, along roadsides, and in clearcuts [14,44,58,61]. Hillside blueberry is a common component of dry, open woods but also grows in hardwood swamps [51,61]. It generally occurs below 3,500 feet (1,061 m) in elevation [14]. Soils: Hillside blueberry grows on dry, sandy or gravelly soils, as well as on heavy clay [17,25,30]. It grows well on acidic soils [53]. Parent materials are variable but include chert, granite, gneiss, and schist [25,30]. Climate: Hillside blueberry grows in a humid mesothermal climatic regime [34]. Average annual precipitation amounts have been reported as ranging from 39 to 47 inches (100-120 cm) [6,34,50]. SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : Hillside blueberry is reported to have "ruderale tendencies" [57,58]. It commonly invades disturbed sites, such as abandoned farms and clearcuts [58,61]. In parts of New England, it has become widely established on abandoned pasturelands. Hillside blueberry, black huckleberry, and roundleaf greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia) have assumed dominance in these relatively stable plant communities [44]. In many areas, it becomes more abundant on plots burned at frequent intervals [27]. Hillside blueberry also grows in several climax communities. It occurs in climax stands in pine-oak communities of New Jersey and in old-growth post oak-black oak communities of the South Carolina Piedmont [30,37]. SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : Flowers generally appear before the leaves are "half grown" [33]. The mean interval between flowering and fruiting is approximately 66 days [24]. Vander Kloet [61] reported a period of 60 days until seed set. Hillside blueberry often ripens over a relatively long period of time [53], although much geographic variation has been observed. In the foothills of the Appalachian and Ozark mountains, populations often fruit synchronously [63]. However, in coastal regions, fruit ripens sporadically [63]. Ballington and others [4] observed peak ripeness in early June, although berries could be harvested from July 12 to July 29. Generalized flowering and fruiting dates are as follows: Location Flowering Fruit ripe Authority VA ---- July - August Uttal 1987 Great Plains April - June July - September Great Plains Flora Flora Assoc. 1986 n-c Great Plains mid-April early July Stephens 1973 NC, SC March - April June - July Radford and others 1964 OH ---- July 16-28 Gorchov 1987 New England May 10 - June 14 ---- Seymour 1985

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium pallidum | Hillside Blueberry

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Information Courtesy: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Fire Effects Information System

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