Smallflower Blueberry
Vaccinium virgatum
- Native to:
- United States
Pierre-Joseph Redouté (en.wikipedia.org)
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Ericaceae
- Genus:
- Vaccinium
- Species:
- Vaccinium virgatum
- USDA Symbol:
- VAVI2
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Shrub
- Height:
- 400 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- mar,apr,may
- Bloom Colors:
- white, pink
- Landscaping Shrub:
- Yes
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (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)
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)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, small mammals, bees
- Fall Color:
- red, orange
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from root crown following fire. Adapted to fire-maintained pine savannas and flatwoods.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil
- pH:
- 4.0 - 5.5 (strongly acidic to moderately acidic)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- Prefers soils with high organic matter content
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 60–90 days
- Germination Time:
- 30–90 days
- Notes:
- Seeds require light for germination. Best results with cold stratification followed by warm temperatures.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Cold-moist stratification for 30 days at 1–5°C (34–41°F).; then Cold-moist stratification for 60 days.
Source: Claude AI