Black Huckleberry
Gaylussacia baccata

Family: Ericaceae

What it is like

Gaylussacia baccata, the black huckleberry, is a deciduous Shrub growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) in dry woods; closely resembling blueberry plants (Vaccinium species), it is grown in similar conditions. Plants spread quickly to form thickets in sunny woody areas. The fruit is deliciously spicy and sweet; they can be eaten out of hand or used in pies, preserves etc. They can also be dried for later use. The dried fruit can be ground into a powder then mixed with cereal flours to make bread. The fruit is somewhat seedy. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter. Some medical uses.

Gaylussacia baccata is a deciduous Shrub growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from May to June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 1

Where it is found

Dry or moist woods, thickets and clearings, on acidic sandy soils.

Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Georgia, Manitoba, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

Canada, Europe, North America*, USA,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Fruit - raw or cooked. Deliciously spicy and sweet, they can be eaten out of hand or used in pies, preserves etc. They can also be dried for later use. The dried fruit can be ground into a powder then mixed with cereal flours to make bread. The fruit is rather seedy. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter.

Medicine

Rating: 1

An infusion of the leaves, or the bark, has been used in the treatment of dysentery. An infusion of the leaves has been used in the treatment of Bright's disease.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Miscellany: Various medicinal actions that need more clarification.

Other

Rating: 0

Miscellany: A rag-bag of items that are difficult to categorise.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Requires a lime-free moist peaty soil, thriving in sun or part shade. Plants are hardy to about -15°c. Occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit, there are some named varieties selected for their larger fruits. The small oval leaves are covered with globules on the underside from which a resinous gum is exuded. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 7 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a running thicket former forming a colony from shoots away from the crown spreading indefinitely. The root pattern is suckering with new plants from underground runners away from the plant.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Seeds are short-lived and difficult to germinate. Stored seed requires 1 month warm stratification followed by 2 months cold. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots of lime-free compost and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer when they are at least 15cm tall. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Layering. Division in spring.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 5-9

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Black huckleberry, common huckleberry

Synonyms

G. resinosa. Andromeda baccata. Vaccinium resinosum.