Sea bilberry, Black rice tree, Oriental blueberry
Vaccinium bracteatum

Family: Ericaceae

What it is like

An evergreen shrub. It grows 0.6-0.9 m tall. It spreads 0.6-0.9 m wide. It can be 3 m high. The branches are slender and grey but are red when young. The leaves are narrowly oval and have small teeth. The leaves are red when young and turn pale green. They are 5 cm long by 2 cm wide. The flowers are small and white or pink. There are often 10 flowers in a group. The fruit are red berries. The fruit are 5 mm across.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in temperate places. It grows in dense forests. In Yunnan in China it grows between 1,100-2,000 m altitude. It grows in subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest. In Japan it grows in poor soils along the coast. It suits hardiness zones 7-10. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Cambodia, China, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan (country/location of origin), Korea-South, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, SE Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit are slightly acid and eaten raw when fully ripe. They are also used for jam and wine. The leafy shoots are boiled with rice to turn it black.

Fruit are sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves - flavour

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed or by cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Inai batu, Kelam padang, Mata keli, Sashibu-no-ki, Shashambo, Sontram la-hoa, Tranaeng-puech chu, Wakuraha, Xinang, Ying nat

Synonyms

Vaccinium buergeri Miq.; ? Vaccinium idzuroei; ? Vaccinium malaccense Wight; Vaccinium spicatum (Lour.) Poir.; Vaccinium taquetii; ?