Elliott's Blueberry
Vaccinium elliottii
- Native to:
- United States, Virgin Islands
iNaturalist: © johnchristianphifer (iNaturalist #65541413)
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Ericaceae
- Genus:
- Vaccinium
- Species:
- Vaccinium elliottii
- USDA Symbol:
- VAEL
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Shrub
- Height:
- 600 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Low
- Bloom Months:
- mar,apr,may
- Bloom Colors:
- white, pink
- Landscaping Shrub:
- Yes
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★★★★★ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)
- Pollen Specialist Bee Keystone:
- ★★☆☆☆ Native pollen specialist bee species supported by this genus (NWF)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Bees: Habropoda laboriosa
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, small mammals, butterflies
- Fall Color:
- red, orange
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Can resprout from root crowns after low-intensity fire; fire helps maintain open understory habitat.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- sandy, acidic, well-drained soil
- pH:
- 4.5 - 5.5 (strongly acidic)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- Prefers organic matter-rich environments
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 60–90 days
- Germination Time:
- 30–60 days
- Notes:
- Seeds require cold stratification for 60-90 days to break dormancy; germination occurs in spring.
Pre-treatment: Seeds of Elliott's blueberry were stratified for 3 to 4 months. Seeds germinated when exposed to a warm stratification followed by a cold stratification.
Establishment: Germination was minimal and seedlings grew very slowly under ambient greenhouse conditions. Potential causes for this might be the light levels in the greenhouse were excessive for this understory species, the potting medium used was not suitable, or the seedlings require mycorrhizal associations for proper growth which were lacking in the potting medium.
Source: npn.rngr.net