10. Vaccinium Vacillans Kalm. Low Blueberry. Blue Huckleberry

Fig. 3268

V. vacillans Kalm; Torr. Fl. N. Y. 1: 444. 1843.

A stiff branching shrub, 6'-4° high, with glabrous or sometimes pubescent, yellowish-green warty branches and twigs. Leaves obo-vate, oval, or broadly oblong, acute or obtuse and usually mucronulate, narrowed or rounded at the base, firm, glabrous on both sides, or pubescent beneath, entire, or sparingly serrulate, pale, glaucous and finely reticulate-veined beneath, l'-2 1/2' long, 1/2'-1 1/4' wide; flowers several or few in the clusters which are sometimes racemose on naked branches, longer than or equalling their pedicels; corolla oblong-cylin-dric, somewhat constricted at the throat, greenish-pink, 2"-3" long, 1 1/2"-2" thick; berry blue with a bloom, sweet, 2"-3 1/2" in diameter.

In dry soil, New Hampshire to Ontario and Michigan, south to Georgia, Tennessee and Kansas. May-June. Fruit ripe July-Aug.

11. Vaccinium Nigrum (Wood) Britton. Low Black Blueberry

Fig. 3269

Vaccinium pennsylvanicum var. nigrum Wood, Bot. &

Flor. 199. 1873. V. nigrum Britton, Mem. Torr. Club 5: 252. 1894.

Similar to V. angustifolium and often growing with it, 6-12' high, the twigs glabrous. Leaves oblong, oblanceolate or obovate, acute at the apex, narrowed or rounded at the base, finely serrulate, very nearly sessile, 1/2'-1' long, 3"-6" wide, glabrous on both sides, green above, pale and glaucous beneath; flowers few in the clusters, longer than their pedicels; corolla globose-ovoid, very little constricted at the throat, white or cream color, about 2" long, 1 1/2" thick; berry black, without bloom, about 3" in diameter.

In dry rocky soil. New Brunswick to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. May. Fruit ripe in July.

12. Vaccinium Atrocóccum (A. Gray) Heller. Black Blueberry

Fig. 3270

Vaccinium disomorphum Bigel. Fl. Bost. Ed. 2, 151. 1824. Not Michx. 1803. Vaccinium corymbosum var. atrococcum A. Gray, Man. Ed. 2, 250. 1856. V, atrococcum Heller, Bull. Torr. Club 21: 24.

1894.

A branching shrub with shreddy bark, 3°-10° high, closely resembling Vaccinium corymbosum, the branches green, minutely warty, the young twigs pubescent. Leaves oval or oblong, dark green above, light green and densely pubescent ' beneath even when old, entire, ' usually acute at both ends, mucronate. thick, 1 1/2'-3' long, 1/2'-1 1/2' wide; flowers in short racemes, appearing with the leaves, about the length of their slender pedicels; bracts and bractlets caducous; calyx 5-lobed; corolta short-cylindric or ovoid, pink or greenish-red, 2" - 3" long, about 1 1/2" thick, 5-toothed, constricted at throat; berry black, without bloom, sweet, 3"-5" in diameter.

In swamps and wet woods. New Brunswick and Ontario to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Alabama. May-June. Fruit ripe July-Aug.