Highbush Blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum

Also known as: Upland Highbush Blueberry

Taxonomy

Division:: Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:: Ericaceae
Genus:: Vaccinium
Species:: Vaccinium corymbosum

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:: Perennial
Growth Habit:: Shrub
Height:: 12-20 ft
Light Requirements:: Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Drought Tolerance:: High
Bloom Months:: may, jun
Bloom Colors:: White, Pink
Evergreen Shrub:: Yes
Landscaping Shrub:: Yes

Native Range

United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Canada: British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec

Keystone Species Ranking

Caterpillar Keystone:: ★☆☆☆☆ Based on number of butterfly and moth species using this genus as host plant (Source: National Wildlife Federation)
Bee Keystone:: ★★★★☆ Based on number of native bee species using this genus for pollen and nectar (Source: National Wildlife Federation)

Host Plant for Caterpillars

American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana), Andromeda Underwing (Catocala andromedae), Apple Sphinx (Sphinx "gordius"), Apple Sphinx (Sphinx gordius), Banded Tussock Moth (Halysidota tessellaris), Basicladus celibatus, Caloptilia burgessiella, Caloptilia vacciniella, cranberry fruitworm (Acrobasis vaccinii), Dichomeris ligulella, Drexel's datana moth (Datana drexelii), green oak slug moth (Parasa chloris), Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), Huckleberry sphinx (Paonias astylus), Hyppa xylinoides, Mesothea incertata, Pangrapta decoralis, Parornix arbitrella, Parornix preciosella, Phyllonorycter diversella, Slender clearwing (Hemaris gracilis), speckled cutworm (Lacanobia subjuncta), Tischeria insolita, Variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia), white-spot moth (Antaeotricha leucillana), zebra caterpillar moth (Melanchra picta), Brown Elfin (Incisalia augustinus), Henry's Elfin (Incisalia henrici), Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), Interior Sulphur (Colias interior), Striped Hairstreak (Satyrium liparops)

Reported Fauna Sightings

Bees: Black-tailed bumble bee (Bombus melanopygus), Black-tailed bumble bee (Bombus melanopygus), Bombus perplexus (Bombus perplexus), Bombus perplexus (Bombus perplexus), Bombus ternarius (Bombus ternarius), Bombus ternarius (Bombus ternarius), Bombus terricola (Bombus terricola), Bombus terricola (Bombus terricola), Bombus vagans (Bombus vagans), Bombus vagans (Bombus vagans), Brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis), Brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis), bumblebee (Bombus Latreille), bumblebee (Bombus Latreille), Common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens), Common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens), Fuzzy-horned bumble bee (Bombus mixtus), Fuzzy-horned bumble bee (Bombus mixtus), Sitka bumble bee (Bombus sitkensis), Sitka bumble bee (Bombus sitkensis), Tri-colored bumble bee (Bombus ternarius), Tri-colored bumble bee (Bombus ternarius), Two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus), Two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus), Yellow head bumble bee (Bombus flavifrons), Yellow head bumble bee (Bombus flavifrons), Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii), Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:: moist, well-drained, acidic peaty soil
pH:: 4.5 - 5.5 (strongly acidic to moderately acidic)
Drainage:: excellent drainage required
Moisture:: consistently moist
Notes:: prefers high organic matter content

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: Softwood blueberry cuttings are taken in late June or early July. Cuttings are trimmed to a size that has a node at the bottom of the cutting and several pairs of leaves at the top (each cutting is about 6 inches). They are dipped in a 1:10 solution of Dip n Grow, and stuck in flats of perlite under mist in the greenhouse.

Establishment: The protocols vary in the propagation source, with one using seeds and another using cuttings. The protocol using cuttings did not specify a germination rate.

Source: npn.rngr.net