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