Tree sparkleberry, Farkleberry, Sparkleberry, Tree-huckleberry
Vaccinium arboreum

Family: Ericaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It has a short trunk. The crown is irregular. The branches are crooked. It grows 7.6 m high. The bark is light reddish brown and thin. It is covered with fine scales. The trunk is 15 cm across. The leaves are small and fall off during the year. The leaves are 1.2-4.5 cm long by 0.6-2.5 cm wide. They are narrowly oval and blunt or rounded at the tip. They may have small teeth. There is a network of fine veins. The leaves are shiny and dark green above and paler underneath. The flowers are 6 mm long and wide. They are bell shaped and have a slightly 5-lobed corolla. The droop on stalks and are in clusters 5-7.5 cm long. The fruit are 6 mm across. They are shiny black berries. They contain 8-10 seeds. They have a thin sweet pulp. The berries are often classed as inedible.

Where it is found

It is a warm temperate plant. They grow in sandy and rocky dry uplands. It the SE of the USA they grow to 760 m altitude. It suits warmer places and is not fully hardy to frost. It grows in very acidic soils.

Countries/locations it is found in

North America, USA

How it is used for food

The fruit are dry with little taste. They are sometimes eaten. They are used in pies, jellies and jams.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed. It is hard to grow from cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Batodendron andrachniforme Small; Batodendron arboreum (Marshall) Nutt.; Vaccinium arboreum var. glaucescens (Greene) Sarg,;