Vaccinium elliottii
| Elliott's blueberry | |
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| Plant in flower | |
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| Species: | V. elliotti
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| Binomial name | |
| Vaccinium elliottii Chapm. 1860
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Vaccinium elliottii (Elliott's blueberry) is a species of Vaccinium in the blueberry group (Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus). It is native to the southeastern and south-central United States, from southeastern Virginia south to Florida, and west to Arkansas and Texas.
Growth
Vaccinium elliottii is a deciduous shrub 2–4 m (6.6–13.1 ft) tall, with small, simple ovoid-acute leaves 15–30 mm (0.59–1.18 in) long with a finely serrated margin. The flowers are pale pink, bell-shaped, 6–8 mm long, opening in the early spring before the new leaves appear.
The fruit is an edible berry 5–8 mm diameter. There are two variants one having tart shiny blue black berries and the other sweeter type having a whitish waxy bloom over the otherwise blue black berries; they ripen from late spring (in Florida) through summer (in Arkansas and Virginia).
Cultivation and uses
Vaccinium elliottii produces a particularly large yield of somewhat sour berries. It is popular for late-season fruit.
Gallery
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Vaccinium elliottii - Leaves -
An unripe Elliott's blueberry, the actual berry is at the picture's bottom.
