Vaccinium ovatum
Common name:
Box Huckleberry
Evergreen Huckleberry
Pronunciation:
vak-SIN-ee-um o-VA-tum
Family:
Ericaceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
Yes
- Broadleaf, evergreen shrub, 3-5(8) ft [0.9-1.5(2.4) m], neat, erect, compact generally, but can have erratic growth habit (e.g., some long erect shoots). Leaves small, alternate, oval to lanceolate, 4 cm long, toothed, leathery, glossy dark green, generally closely spaced along reddish stems. (Used in the florist industry.) Pale pink, urn-shaped flowers borne on short racemes in spring. Fruit at first is red, turning blue-black in late summer, edible.
- Sun to part shade
- Hardy to USDA Zone 7 Found along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to California. Introduced into cultivation by David Douglas in 1826.
- ovatum: ovate, egg-shaped, with broad end at base
- Corvallis: Central Park, south side, east of Gazebo.
- Oregon State Univ. campus: east side Gilmore Hall.