''Vaccinium hirsutum'' is a species of flowering plant in the heath family known by the common name hairy blueberry. This species is endemic to a small area in the southern

Appalachian mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

, where it is only known from a few counties in eastern

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, northern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and the Carolinas.Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
/ref> ''Vaccinium hirsutum'' is native to dry oak-pine ridges, where it can be locally abundant. It is a shrub up to 75 cm (28 inches) tall, forming large colonies. Leaves are rather thick, elliptical, densely hairy, up to 62 mm (2 1/2 inches) long. ''Vaccinium hirsutum'' produces white, cylindrical flowers in late spring, followed by hairy, black berries in the summer.

References

hirsutum Flora of the Southeastern United States Plants described in 1843 Blueberries {{Ericaceae-stub