Vaccinium corymbosum
Highbush Blueberry is a
shrub
with many stems. It grows to 10 feet tall and has
clusters
of small, bell-shaped, white flowers. This shrub has simple,
green leaves which are one to two inches long. Leaves turn
bright red in the fall. Higbush Blueberry is best
known for its fruit,
which is eaten by many animals, including humans. Highbush Blueberry is
found on the edges of marshes, lakes, ponds, and streams. It
is also seen in open areas of woods. It does not like
shade.
The bark
of Highbush Blueberry is grayish-brown and
shreddy. Each blue-black berry of
this plant contains hundreds of tiny seeds.
In order to spread and grow new plants, Highbush Blueberry
depends on birds and animals to eat fruit and drop seeds out
in new places through their poop. Highbush Blueberry is one
of the most important fruits for wild animals. Some animals
that eat Highbush Blueberry fruit include: Eastern Bluebird,
Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, Wild Turkey, Northern
Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Mourning Dove, American Robin,
Red Fox, Eastern Cottontail, White-footed Mouse, Striped
Skunk, and Eastern Chipmunk. White-tailed Deer and
Eastern Cottontails eat the leaves and twigs
of this shrub. To pollinate
flowers, Highbush Blueberry depends on bees and other
insects. Other plants that are
often found growing with Higbush Blueberry include: oaks,
hickories, pines, Yellow Poplar, Red Maple, Cinnamon Fern,
and Black Huckleberry.
Betty Wargo, Institute for Systematic Botany ,Department of Biology, University of South Florida