Vaccinium ovalifolium
Vaccinium ovalifolium is a plant in the heath family with three varieties, all of which grow in northerly regions.
Description
V. ovalifolium is a spreading shrub which may grow to tall. The leaves are long, green on top and pale below. It has pink,, urn-shaped flowers. Berries are dark blue, often black, across, sometimes with a waxy coating.Cytology is 2n = 24, 72.
Distribution
The original variety is found on both the eastern and western sides of the Pacific Ocean. In North America, it is distributed throughout Canada and the United States. In Asia, it is distributed throughout Russia and Japan.The two other varieties are confined to Japan and Russia:
- V. o. var. sachalinense is only found in Sakhalin in Russia, and Hokkaido in Japan.
- V. o. var. alpinum is distributed only within the Daisetsu and Hidaka Mountains, both on the island of Hokkaido.
Ecology
Uses
V. ovalifolium is used in jams and jellies and for making liqueur. Blueberry herbal tea can be made from the leaves, or from the juice of the blueberries themselves, which are edible.V. ovalifolium has been used in Russia in the making of dyes, including the use of its tannin.