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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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VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Vaccinium pallidum | Hillside Blueberry
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : The wood of hillside blueberry is soft and white but has no known commercial value [53]. IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Browse: The importance of hillside blueberry browse to wild ungulates appears variable. It is reported to have fair forage value in the Ozarks [47] and receives only light year-round use by white-tailed deer in parts of central Pennsylvania [43]. White-tailed deer seldom feed on hillside blueberry browse during the winter in New Jersey, but in parts of Pennsylvania, it may be eaten during the spring and summer [38]. Hillside blueberry has been described as a preferred white-tailed deer food in parts of Virginia [15]. This preference may be due in part to the presence of juicy, flavorful berries. Fruit: Fruit of hillside blueberry is widely used by numerous species of small birds and mammals [53]. In Virginia and presumably elsewhere, berries are readily consumed by the wild turkey [15]. Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) fruits are eaten by many species of birds including the rufous-sided towhee, northern mockingbird, gray catbird, brown thrasher, American robin, whimbel, herring gull, Canada goose, ruffed grouse, spruce grouse, eastern bluebird, and various tanagers and thrushes [40,59,63]. The black bear, red squirrel, gray fox, red fox, skunks, and chipmunks also feed on blueberry fruit [40,59,61]. PALATABILITY : Palatability of hillside blueberry browse to deer has not been well documented [12]. Several food habit studies suggest that it is of at least fair palatability to deer in many areas. The juicy, sweet fruit is highly palatable to numerous species of birds and mammals [53]. NUTRITIONAL VALUE : Fruit: Hillside blueberry is characterized by a high soluble solid content [3]. Soluble solids average 13.07 percent, with a titratable acidity of 0.67 [3]. Each berry averages 8 calories [63]. Browse: Leaf nutrient content varies according to phenological development. Killingbeck and Costigan [34] reported the following nutrient values: micrograms per cm -2 N P Cu Fe Zn pre-senescent leaves 57.5 5.5 0.05 0.15 0.07 senescent leaves 2.3 0.4 0.002 0.008 0.013 COVER VALUE : The low-statured hillside blueberry presumably provides minimal cover for large mammals. However, plants form good ground cover for a variety of small mammals [53]. Fallen leaves commonly lodge in dense thickets of this shrub increasing its cover value during late fall and winter [53]. VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : Hillside blueberry can retard erosion on steep slopes [53]. Most blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) can be readily propagated by hardwood cuttings or by seed [65]. The weight of 100 seeds averages 0.001 ounce (34 mg) [60]. Propagation techniques have been examined in detail [65]. OTHER USES AND VALUES : Fruit of hillside blueberry is sweet to bland and of "fair quality" [14,58]. Fruit is eaten fresh or used to make pies and jellies [53]. It receives casual use throughout its range but is harvested commercially in northeastern Alabama, northwestern Georgia, western and northwestern Arkansas, and West Virginia [61]. In many areas, quantities of berries are difficult to collect because the fruit ripens over a relatively long period of time [53]. Hillside blueberry has shown promise for use in breeding hardy, early-ripening, fruit-producing cultivars [4,19]. It has shown particular promise for developing commercial blueberries adapted to upland mineral soils [35]. Hillside blueberry is an attractive shrub and is occasionally grown for its ornamental value as well as its fruit [33]. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Drought resistance: Hillside blueberry is resistant to drought [19,61] but is not as drought tolerant as many other southern blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) [20]. Radiation: Hillside blueberry is resistant to ionizing gamma radiation [10]. Plants sprouted from rhizomes 0.4 inch (1.0 cm) or greater in depth following aerial exposure to 105 R per day. Plants did not sprout after rhizomes were exposed to 65 to 70 R per day [10]. Disease: The shrub is susceptible to "stunt" virus [19]. Timber harvest: Cover of hillside blueberry is reportedly greater in cut stands (20 percent) than in uncut stands (9 percent) [12].

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium pallidum | Hillside Blueberry

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