Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
Section: Batodendron
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Vaccinium arboreum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Sparkleberry at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The leaves are coriaceous and semi-evergreen, often being retained for much or all of the winter, especially in the southern part of our area, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vaccinium arboreum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Vaccinium arboreum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 8 (2009)
Vaccinium arboreum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Vaccinium arboreum
SYNONYMOUS WITH The genus Vaccinium L. (Ericaceae) in Virginia (Uttal, 1987)
Vaccinium arboreum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-19-001:
Vaccinium arboreum FAMILY Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Batodendron arboreum
COMMON NAME:
Sparkleberry, Farkleberry
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm191222_2362_v_arboreum
Clay County AL
Cheaha State Park
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_835
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_836
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_baar2_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm210309_8931
March Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm220315_6096
March Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm110417_005
April Cleburne County AL
Mount Cheaha
Leaves coriaceous, evergreen to tardily deciduous, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm180408_1132
April McCormick County SC
Parks Mill
)
JK Marlow jkm180408_1138
April McCormick County SC
Parks Mill
Leaves entire or serrulate, often spinulose, mucronulate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmvarboreum_and2
April Anderson County SC
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmvarboreum_laurens
May? Laurens County SC
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmvarboreum_trsp2
June Pickens County SC
Table Rock State Park
Corolla bell-shaped, 5-8mm across and about as long, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).
)
JK Marlow jkm071014_001
October Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm071014_003
October Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
Bark scaly, grayish outer bark revealing red-brown inner bark, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm071028_099
October Edgefield County SC
Sumter National Forest: Edgefield Ranger District
Berry black, lustrous, 5-8mm long, dry and mealy, long persistent, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm071028_102
October Edgefield County SC
Sumter National Forest: Edgefield Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm071028_103
October Edgefield County SC
Sumter National Forest: Edgefield Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm221004_0182
October Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm221004_0183
October Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm221007_0278
October Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm221007_0290
October Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm231010_5925
October Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow s071011_d
October Oconee County SC
Oconee Station/Station Cove
Leaves coriaceous, elliptic, oval or obovate, 2-7 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow s071011_d2
October Oconee County SC
Oconee Station/Station Cove
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Vaccinium arboreum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vaccinium arboreum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Vaccinium arboreum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 8
Vaccinium arboreum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Vaccinium arboreum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
The genus Vaccinium L. (Ericaceae) in Virginia (Uttal, 1987)
Vaccinium arboreum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-19-001:
Vaccinium arboreum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Batodendron arboreum
1578
Shrub; Tree
Perennial
Habitat: Rocky or sandy woodlands, bluffs, and cliffs, usually xeric and often fire-maintained, and unlike most other Vaccinium, often on mafic, ultramafic, or calcareous rocks, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in Carolina Mountains)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Semi-evergreen/Tardily deciduous
Simple
Alternate
Margins entire or with minute serrulate points
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White
5-lobed calyx
5-lobed campanulate corolla
10 stamens
Inferior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Black
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p388
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p072
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p263
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p203
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p246
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p239
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p256
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p115
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p140
- Guide to the Plants of Granite Outcrops (Murdy & Carter, 2000) p47
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p222
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p147
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p174
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p103
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p316
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p361
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p362
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p128
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