Vaccinium crassifolium

Vaccinium crassifolium
United States Botanic Garden's
National Garden, Washington
Apparently Secure
Apparently Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Vaccinium
Species:
V. crassifolium
Binomial name
Vaccinium crassifolium
Synonyms[3]
  • Herpothamnus crassifolius (Andrews) Small
  • Vaccinium crassifolium subsp. sempervirens (D.A.Rayner & J. Henderson) W.B.Kirkman & Ballington
  • Vaccinium sempervirens D.A.Rayner & J.Henderson

Vaccinium crassifolium, or the creeping blueberry, is a species of Vaccinium, part of the heath family. It is native to a portion of the Southeastern United States.

Description

The species forms an evergreen shrub with shiny dark green to bronze leaves. It has a diploid set of genes, with a total of 24 chromosomes.[4]

Taxonomy

Vaccinium crassifolium is the only species in Vaccinium sect. Herpothamnus. Some sources have recognized a second species, V. sempervirens, but recent authors combine the two into a single species.[3][5]

Creeping blueberries, although they are native to North America, do not seem to be most closely related to North American blueberries, but instead to South American Vaccinium species.[5]

Distribution and habitat

Vaccinium crassifolium is native to the coastal plain of Georgia, the Carolinas, and southeastern Virginia, especially in pine barrens but also in disturbed settings like roadsides and other open areas.[3][6][7]

Uses

The leaves resemble those of bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) and may be used in the latter's place in herbal medicine.[8]

Vaccinium crassifolium has been cultivated since at least about 1787,[5] and several cultivars are available for planting as a groundcover in landscaping gardens.[9]

References

  1. ↑ NatureServe (2 February 2024). "Vaccinium crassifolium". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  2. ↑ "Vaccinium crassifolium Andrews". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 15. Vaccinium crassifolium Andrews, Flora of North America
  4. ↑ Redpath, Lauren E.; Aryal, Rishi; Lynch, Nathan; Spencer, Jessica A.; Hulse-Kemp, Amanda M.; Ballington, James R.; Green, Jaimie; Bassil, Nahla; Hummer, Kim; Ranney, Thomas; Ashrafi, Hamid (2022). "Nuclear DNA contents and ploidy levels of North American Vaccinium species and interspecific hybrids". Scientia Horticulturae. 297 110955. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2022.110955. ISSN 0304-4238.
  5. 1 2 3 Kirkman, W. B. & J. R. Ballington (Oct–Dec 1990), "Creeping blueberries (Ericaceae: Vaccinium sect. Herpothamnus) - a new look at Vaccinium crassifolium including V. sempervirens", Systematic Botany, 15 (4): 679–699, doi:10.2307/2419164, JSTOR 2419164
  6. ↑ Creeping Blueberry, USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, consulted 2006-12-18). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
  7. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  8. ↑ 416. Vaccinium crassifolium, A Manual of Organic Materia Medica and Pharmacognosy, by Lucius E. Sayre, B.S. Ph. M., 1917.
  9. ↑ MacKenzie, David S. (2002). Perennial Ground Covers. p. 309. ISBN 0-88192-557-8.
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