Black Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium fuscatum
Unlike its close relative the common highbush blueberry, the fruits of this species are shiny or dark black because they lack the powdery white waxy coating known as a 'bloom'.
- Scientific name
- Vaccinium fuscatum
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Ericales › Ericaceae › Vaccinium
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Acidic swamps, bogs, wet pine flatwoods, and damp depression wetlands.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (produces energy via photosynthesis, utilizing specialized fungi to absorb nutrients from poor soils).
- Range
- Eastern United States, Southeastern Canada
- Size
- Woody deciduous shrub growing 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) tall.
- Lifespan
- 30-50 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland destruction, land development, and competition from invasive plant species.
- Safe to approach?
- This plant is entirely harmless and safe to approach. While the berries are edible and sweet, always 100% verify the plant's identity using multiple botanical features before consuming any wild fruit, as toxic lookalikes exist in similar habitats.
Vaccinium fuscatum , commonly called black highbush blueberry , is a species of flowering plant in the heath family (Ericaceae). It is native eastern to North America, where it is found in Canada and the United States. Its typical natural habitat is wet areas such as bogs, pocosins, and swamps.
Photo: David Gorsline, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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