Vaccinium ovalifolium facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vaccinium ovalifolium
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington
Conservation status
Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Vaccinium
Species:	V. ovalifolium
Binomial name
Vaccinium ovalifolium Sm. 1817
Varieties
Vaccinium ovalifolium var. alpinum (Tatew.) T.Yamaz. Vaccinium ovalifolium var. ovalifolium (autonym) Vaccinium ovalifolium var. sachalinense T.Yamaz. List source :
Synonyms
Vaccinium alaskaense Howell Vaccinium axillare Nakai Vaccinium chamissonis Bong. Vaccinium chamissonis var. alpinum Tatew.  [=V. o. var. alpinum] Vaccinium ovalifolium var. coriaceum Boiss.  [=V. o. var. ovalifolium]

Vaccinium ovalifolium is a cool plant often called the Alaska blueberry. You might also hear it called early blueberry or oval-leaf huckleberry. It belongs to the heath family, which includes many plants like cranberries and heather. This plant has three different types, called varieties. All of them grow in cold, northern places, even in the subarctic regions.

How the Alaska Blueberry Grows

The Alaska blueberry is a spreading bush. It can grow up to 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, which is about as tall as a grown-up! Its flowers are pink and shaped like tiny urns. They are about 1⁄4 in (0.64 cm) long.

The berries are dark blue, almost black. Sometimes, they have a waxy coating that makes them look a bit frosty.

Where the Alaska Blueberry Lives

The main type of Alaska blueberry, called Vaccinium ovalifolium var. ovalifolium, grows on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

In North America

You can find it in many parts of Canada:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Newfoundland
• Nova Scotia
• Southern Ontario
• South-central Quebec
• Southern Yukon Territory

It also grows in the United States:

• Southern Alaska
• Idaho
• Northern Michigan
• Oregon
• Western South Dakota
• Washington

Across the Pacific

The plant also grows in Asia and Eurasia. You can find it in Russia:

• Kamchatka
• Southern Kuril Islands
• Primorsky Krai
• Sakhalin

And in Japan:

• Hokkaido
• Central and northern Honshu

Other Varieties

The two other types of Alaska blueberry are found only in Japan and Russia:

• V. o. var. sachalinense grows only in Sakhalin, Russia, and Hokkaido, Japan.
• V. o. var. alpinum is found only in the Daisetsu and Hidaka Mountains. Both of these mountain ranges are on the island of Hokkaido.

How We Use Alaska Blueberries

People use Alaska blueberries in many ways. They are great for making jams and jellies. You can also use them to make a special liqueur.

The leaves of the plant can be used to make herbal tea. You can also make tea from the juice of the berries themselves.

In Russia, people have used Alaska blueberries to make dyes. They even used a part of the plant called tannin for this purpose.

Food for Animals

The Alaska blueberry is very important for animals, especially in winter.

• In winter, deer, goats, and elk eat the branches and leaves.
• In summer, hummingbirds drink the sweet nectar from its flowers.

Older bark is grayish, but new twigs are brown, yellow, or reddish.