Box Huckleberry
Gaylussacia brachycera

Family: Ericaceae

What it is like

Gaylussacia brachycera is an evergreen Shrub growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in leaf all year, 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 full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 0.5

Where it is found

On slopes and in dry sandy woods on dry acidic sandy soils.

Eastern N. America - Delaware and Pennsylvania to Virginia.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Fruit - raw or cooked. Not highly regarded. Tasteless. The fruit is about 12mm in diameter.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 2

A good ground cover plant. Spreading quite freely, it should be spaced about 30cm apart each way.

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

Ground cover: Ground Cover

How it is grown

Requires a lime-free moist peaty soil, thriving in sun or part shade. Prefers a position in partial or full shade. Plants are hardy to about -15°c. This species rarely sets viable seed. There is a colony in New Jersey that covers 3.8 hectares of land, it is estimated to be 10,000 years old and to have originated vegetatively from one single mother plant. 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. An evergreen. A clumping mat former. Forming a dense prostrate carpet spreading indefinitely.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. 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; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Ground Cover;

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 5-9

Growth:

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

Shade: Full shade, semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Vaccinium brachycerum. V. buxifolium.