Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
Section: Oxycoccoides
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Vaccinium erythrocarpum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Bearberry at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vaccinium erythrocarpum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Vaccinium erythrocarpum ssp. erythrocarpum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-19-013:
Vaccinium erythrocarpum FAMILY Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hugeria erythrocarpa
COMMON NAME:
Bearberry, Highbush Cranberry, Mountain Cranberry
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_oxer_001_lvd
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmverythrocarpum_gfm2
June Avery County NC
Grandfather Mountain
Easily identified by its distinctive slender, red, 4-parted flowers, per Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmverythrocarpum_mm1
June Yancey County NC
Mount Mitchell
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_062921otto32
June Macon County NC
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_062921otto33
June Macon County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm080924_077
September Transylvania County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Leaves finely serrate, glabrous, long-pointed. Fruit borne on long stalks, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Vaccinium erythrocarpum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Vaccinium erythrocarpum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Vaccinium erythrocarpum ssp. erythrocarpum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-19-013:
Vaccinium erythrocarpum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hugeria erythrocarpa
1584
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: Rocky ridges, shrub or grassy balds, bogs, spruce-fir forests, usually at high elevations, per Weakley's Flora
Native to North Carolina & Georgia
Uncommon in NC Mountains, rare in GA
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
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Pink
Bisexual
4-lobed calyx
4-lobed corolla (lobes strongly recurved)
8 stamens
Inferior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Red to black
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p117
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p188
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p29
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p364