''Gaylussacia baccata'', the black huckleberry, is a common
huckleberry found throughout a wide area of eastern
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
Distribution
The plant is native to
Eastern Canada and the
Great Lakes region, the Midwestern and
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
, and the
Appalachian Mountains, the
Ohio/
Mississippi/
Tennessee Valley, and
Southeastern United States. The range extends from
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
west to
Manitoba and
Minnesota, south as far as
Arkansas,
Alabama, and
Georgia.
Description
''Gaylussacia baccata'' closely resembles the native
blueberry
Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus ''Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries, bi ...
plants (''
Vaccinium'' species) with which it grows in the same
habitats. However, it can be readily identified by the numerous resin dots on the undersides of the leaves which glitter when held up to the light. ''Gaylussacia baccata'' is a shrub up to 150 cm (5 feet) tall, forming extensive colonies. Flowers are in dangling groups of 3–7, orange or red, bell-shaped. Berries are dark blue, almost black, rarely white.
Berries are sweet and tasty. People and animals eat them raw, jellied, or baked into pancakes, muffins, and many other items.
Ecology
It is a larval host to the
brown elfin
''Callophrys augustinus'', the brown elfin, is butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from Newfoundland north and west through the northern United States and the prairie provinces to Alaska. To the south it ranges in Appalachian Mountain ...
,
Gordian sphinx
Gordian may refer to:
*Gordian I (c.159–238), Roman emperor for one month with his son
*Gordian II (c.192–238), son of Gordian I, Roman emperor for one month
*Gordian III (225–244), grandson of Gordian I, Roman emperor from 238 to 244
*Saint ...
,
Henry's elfin
''Callophrys henrici'', the Henry's elfin or woodland elfin,James A. Scott (1986). ''The Butterflies of North America''. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. is a North American butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. In Canada it is found from ...
, and
huckleberry sphinx
''Paonias astylus'', the huckleberry sphinx, is a moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.
Distribution
It is found in eastern North America, from Maine south to Florida, west to Missouri and Missi ...
.
[The Xerces Society (2016), ''Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects'', Timber Press.]
See also
*''
Vaccinium membranaceum'' — with "black huckleberry" as common name also.
References
External links
Photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Maryland in 1966
baccata
Berries
Flora of North America
Plants described in 1787
Edible plants
{{Ericaceae-stub