Low Sweet Blueberry, Lowbush blueberry
Vaccinium angustifolium

Family: Ericaceae

What it is like

Vaccinium angustifolium is a deciduous Shrub growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen in July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) 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): 0.2

Where it is found

Dry open barrens, peats and rocks.

North-eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Maryland, west to Iowa and Minnesota.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

Canada, North America, USA,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Fruit - raw, cooked or used in preserves etc. A very sweet pleasant flavour with a slight taste of honey. Largely grown for the canning industry, it is considered to be the best of the lowbush type blueberries. The fruit can be dried and used like raisins. The fruit is about 12mm in diameter. This is the earliest commercially grown blueberry to ripen. A tea is made from the leaves and dried fruits.

Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.

Medicine

Rating: 1

A tea made from the leaves has been used as a blood purifier and in the treatment of infant's colic. It has also been used to induce labour and as a tonic after a miscarriage.

Blood tonic: Is this any different to a blood purifier?

Oxytoxic: Hastens parturition and stimulates uterine contractions. See also birthing aids.

Other

Rating: 0

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

How it is grown

Requires a moist but freely-draining lime free soil, preferring one that is rich in peat or a light loamy soil with added leaf-mould. Prefers a very acid soil with a pH in the range of 4.5 to 6, plants soon become chlorotic when lime is present. Succeeds in full sun or light shade though it fruits better in a sunny position. Requires shelter from strong winds. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -40°c. Dislikes root disturbance, plants are best grown in pots until being planted out in their permanent positions. Cultivated for its edible fruits, there are some named varieties. It succeeds in cold northerly locations such as Maine in N. America and in C. Sweden. However, it is said to have little or no value as a fruit crop in Britain. The typical species is not as well known as its subspecies V. angustifolium laevifolium. House. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 8 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. A clumping plant, forming a colony from shoots away from the crown but with a limited spread. The root pattern is flat with shallow roots forming a plate near the soil surface. The root pattern is stoloniferous rooting from creeping stems above the ground.

Propagating it: Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse in a lime-free potting mix and only just cover the seed. Stored seed might require a period of up to 3 months cold stratification. Another report says that it is best to sow the seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Once they are about 5cm tall, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August in a frame. Slow and difficult. Layering in late summer or early autumn. Another report says that spring is the best time to layer. Takes 18 months. Division of suckers in spring or early autumn.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 2-6

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Late sweet blueberry, Low sweet blueberry, Sweethurts, Upland lowbush blueberry,

Synonyms

V. lamarckii. Camp. V. pennsylvanicun angustifolium. V. pensylvanicum. Lam. non Mill.