Vaccinium boreale facts for kids

The Vaccinium boreale, also known as the northern blueberry or sweet hurts, is a type of plant. It is a small shrub that grows wild in parts of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. This plant is famous for its tasty blue berries.

About the Northern Blueberry

The northern blueberry was first officially described in 1961 by scientists I.V. Hall and Aalders. It is a member of the Vaccinium group, which includes many other types of blueberries and cranberries. This plant is well-suited to colder climates.

Where Northern Blueberries Grow

This special blueberry plant is found in several places. It grows in Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland & Labrador in Canada. In the United States, you can find it in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York State.

It likes to grow in specific kinds of places. These include very cold, open areas called tundra, which can be arctic or high up in mountains. It also grows on rocky hills and in open forests where conifer trees, like pines and spruces, are common. It can be found at high elevations, sometimes as high as 2,000 meters (about 6,700 feet) above sea level.

What Northern Blueberries Look Like

The Vaccinium boreale is a very small shrub. It usually grows only up to 9 centimeters (about 3.6 inches) tall. These plants often grow close together, forming thick patches.

• Twigs: The small branches, called twigs, are green. They have angled shapes and tiny lines of hairs on them.
• Leaves: Its leaves fall off in the autumn, so they are called deciduous. They are narrow and shaped like an oval, growing up to 21 millimeters (about 0.85 inches) long. The edges of the leaves have small teeth.
• Flowers: The flowers are white and small, only about 4 millimeters long.
• Berries: The berries are blue and round. They are also quite small, about 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) across. These are the sweet fruits that give the plant its common name.