Vaccinium angustifolium (Lowbush blueberry)

Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton

Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton var. hypolasium Fernald

Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton var. laevifolium House

Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton var. nigrum (Alph. Wood) Dole

Vaccinium brittonii Porter ex E.P. Bicknell

Vaccinium lamarckii Camp

Vaccinium nigrum (Alph. Wood) Britton

Lowbush blueberry, blueberry

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Ericales	Tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, azalea, many others
Family	Ericaceae	Heath or heather family
Genus	Vaccinium	Ancient Latin name for billberry
Species	angustifolium	Latin for “Narrow leaf”

About plant names...

Blueberries grow practically everywhere in Maine, where I grew up. They like acid, sandy soils. While vacationing at our camp on Sebago Lake each summer, we collected blueberries at Bradbury Mountain and other locations. Some of them even made it back down the mountain. Blueberry pie, blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins: delightful!

Identification: Wild blueberries are much smaller than their cultivated cousins, about ⅛-¼" (3.2-6.3 mm) inch in diameter. They are also more flavorful, not just more intense but somehow sweeter. Plants are rarely over a foot or so in height, though they can reach up to 30" (76 cm) if sheltered. Leaves are a glossy dark green color in the summer. In the fall, they turn reddish-purple. Flowers are small and white, shaped like tiny bells. Fruits are dark blue.

This Vaccinium comparision chart also includes a couple of similar-appearing species that are not Vaccinium.

Edibility: Scrumptious.

Online References:

Vaccinium angustifolium on

Vaccinium angustifolium on Wikipedia

Vaccinium angustifolium on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Vaccinium angustifolium at Illinois Wildflowers

Vaccinium angustifolium at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Vaccinium angustifolium on the Vital Signs Gulf of Maine Research Institute

Vaccinium angustifolium on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Vaccinium angustifolium on eFloras

5/12/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hampshire

7/2/2015 · Bemis Rd., Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm)

4/24/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 4" (13 × 9.9 cm)

5/12/2007 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts

5/12/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hampshire

Vaccinium angustifolium description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 21 Aug 2020.

5/12/2007 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 6" (20 × 14 cm)

9/29/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 6" (17 × 14 cm)

5/12/2007 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts

8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Massachusetts
≈ 4 × 3½" (10 × 9.2 cm)

5/12/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hampshire

7/22/1987 · Camp, Sebago Lake, Maine

Range: Zones 2-6:

About this map...