NameThatPlant.net: Vaccinium formosum

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
Section: Cyanococcus

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Vaccinium formosum FAMILY Ericaceae Go to FSUS key

Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.

Read more about Southern Highbush Blueberry at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.

Vaccinium formosum is the primary genetic source of the cultivated highbush blueberries. It has the largest and arguably the highest quality fruit of the native highbush blueberries. Read more in Weakley's Flora (2023).

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vaccinium formosum FAMILY Ericaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Vaccinium formosum

INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 8 (2009)

Vaccinium corymbosum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)

Vaccinium formosum

SYNONYMOUS WITH The genus Vaccinium L. (Ericaceae) in Virginia (Uttal, 1987)

Vaccinium formosum

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-19-008?:

Vaccinium corymbosum FAMILY Ericaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)

Vaccinium australe

SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Cyanococcus virgatus

COMMON NAME:
Southern Highbush Blueberry, Swamp Highbush Blueberry

To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Vaccinium formosum, Southern Highbush Blueberry, Swamp Highbush Blueberry

Patrick D. McMillan pdmvformosum_oceanbay1

May Horry County SC

Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve

This has the largest and arguably the highest quality fruit of the native highbush blueberries, per Weakley's Flora (2022).

JK Marlow jkm220926_0006

September Spartanburg County SC

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Vaccinium formosum FAMILY Ericaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vaccinium formosum FAMILY Ericaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Vaccinium formosum

INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 8
Vaccinium corymbosum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Vaccinium formosum

SYNONYMOUS WITH The genus Vaccinium L. (Ericaceae) in Virginia (Uttal, 1987)
Vaccinium formosum

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-19-008?:
Vaccinium corymbosum FAMILY Ericaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Vaccinium australe

SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cyanococcus virgatus

2341

Shrub
Perennial

Habitat: bogs, swamps (especially blackwater, or at least where away from strong alluvial influence), seepages, depression ponds (dolines), other moist ground, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common in Coastal Plain (rare in Piedmont)

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)

LEAVES:
Deciduous (almost evergreen in the Deep South)
Simple
Alternate

FLOWER:
Spring
White
5-lobed calyx
5-lobed urceolate corolla
10 stamens
Inferior ovary
Bisexual

FRUIT:
Summer
Blue
Berry

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!

If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".

Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".
Or try alternate spellings: If "wooly" doesn't work, try "woolly" or just "wool".