Vaccinium parvifolium – Flora around Nanaimo

Family: Ericaceae

Common name: Red huckleberry

E-flora BC: https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Vaccinium%20parvifolium

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_parvifolium

Red huckleberry is a member of the family Ericaceae. Other species belonging to this family and listed on this site are salal (Gaultheria shallon), arbutus (Arbutus menziesii) and kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi). Compare the flower morphology of these species to note their kinship in the family Ericaceae.

We usually find red huckleberry in openings in the forest, e.g. along trails or at edges. It grows alongside Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and western redcedar (Thuja plicata). It seems to prefer soils with high organic matter and sometimes grows out of old rotting stumps or logs.

Red huckleberry is a spindly shrub, usually around 1.5-2 m tall. Its distinguishing characteristics are its delicate leaves and green, ridged twigs.

A red huckleberry shrub in an opening in the forest. Photo credit: Douglas Fraser

Note the angular, spindly stems. Red, edible, berries may be present on the plant from about July through September in and around Nanaimo. Photo credit: Hitomi Kimura

The species epithet ‘parvifolium’ is descriptive: parvi = (Latin) small, folium = (Latin) leaf, referring to the small, delicate leaves.

Delicate foliage and red berries. Photo credit: Douglas Fraser

The twigs of red huckleberry are angular and often look a bit kinked. Leaf arrangement along the stem is alternate. If one is not paying attention, one could get red huckleberry mixed up with snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), but snowberry has leaves arranged in an opposite pattern, and smooth straight stems.

Note the angular branching stems and delicate leaves. Leaves are attached in an alternate pattern. Photo credit: Douglas Fraser

A good way to confirm that you’re dealing with red huckleberry, and not snowberry, is to inspect the twig. Snowberry has smooth round twigs, while red huckleberry twigs have distinctive sharp ridges. If you can roll the twig between your fingertips, the ridges become obvious.

Note the presence of ridges along young stems. The ridges become very obvious if you roll the stem between your finger tips. Photo credit: Lynda Stevens

Another view of the ridges on a red huckleberry twig. Photo credit: Hitomi Kimura

Red huckleberry flowers are typical of the Ericaceae family – drooping and urn-shaped. Compare the flower morphology to that of the relatives salal (Gaultheria shallon), arbutus (Arbutus menziesii) and kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi).

Red huckleberry flowers are present in late spring. Photo credit: Mike Patterson via Flickr

The fruit of red huckleberry resembles the fruit of other huckleberries and blueberries – a juicy globular berry. These tart berries have traditional uses as food and are collected in large quantities – either for fresh eating or processing for winter storage.