Gaylussacia baccata (Wangenh.) K. Koch

Black huckleberry, common huckleberry

About plant names...

Black huckleberry is a North American native.

Plants: Shrubs are 1-3′ (30-91 cm) in height, with stiff branches that are light brown or greenish when young, changing to gray or black with age. Shrubs are found in colonies.

Leaves: Leaves are oval, becoming orange/red in the fall. Leaves are coated with gold-colored resin glands. The resin can be seen by rubbing the leaves between your fingers, or on a piece of paper.

Flowers: Flowers are pink, about ⅜″ (9.5 mm) in size, and urn-shaped, in racemes. They bloom from May to July.

Fruits: Berries contain 10 seeds, fewer than blueberries. They are red while immature, turning shiny black.

This Gaylussacia and Vaccinium comparison chart com­pares these closely related genera, both of which contain plants called huckleberries.

Edibility: Delicious raw or cooked, though seedy; spicy and sweet.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Nswildflora.ca (excellent photos)

The University of Michigan Herbarium

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Www.carolinanature.com

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

9/18/2016 · Barred Island Preserve, Deer Isle, Maine ID is uncertain

9/8/2020 · Brunswick Town Commons, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

9/8/2020 · Brunswick Town Commons, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 11 cm)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

9/18/2016 · Barred Island Preserve, Deer Isle, Maine ID is uncertain

5/18/2013 · Oak Hill, Littleton Conservation Land, Littleton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 12 cm)

6/16/2013 · Sonny and Donna’s, Tenant’s Harbor, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 16 cm)

7/25/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm)

9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain

6/16/2013 · Sonny and Donna’s, Tenant’s Harbor, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (12 × 19 cm)

6/2/2010 · J. Harry Rich State Forest, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)

8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 11 cm)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

7/25/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm)

7/25/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm)

Gaylussacia baccata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 5 Oct 2021.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

8/22/2020 · Kettle Hole Bog, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

7/27/2013 · Oak Hill, Littleton Conservation Land, Littleton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

7/25/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 19 cm)

9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)

9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain

9/18/2016 · Barred Island Preserve, Deer Isle, Maine ID is uncertain

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm)

8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm)

7/25/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hamp­shire · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm)

5/18/2013 · Oak Hill, Littleton Conservation Land, Littleton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 12 cm)

6/2/2010 · J. Harry Rich State Forest, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm)

8/22/2020 · Crossbill Trail, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

6/16/2013 · Sonny and Donna’s, Tenant’s Harbor, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 10 cm)

8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

5/28/2021 · Brunswick Commons, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm)

8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (14 × 10 cm)

8/22/2020 · Crossbill Trail, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

5/28/2021 · Brunswick Commons, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

Range:

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