Wildflowers of the United States

Home Journal Family Index - All States Photo Albums News About Privacy

Elliott's Blueberry, Mayberry, High Bush Blueberry - Vaccinium elliottii


Family: Ericaceae - Heath family Genus Common Name: Blueberry Native Status: NativeDicot Perennial Shrub
Vaccinium elliottii - Elliott's Blueberry, Mayberry, High Bush Blueberry. There is much variability in the classification of blueberries and their relatives. Some authorities place them in several different genera, and others place them all in Vaccinium, subdividing it into several sections. Broadly described, Vaccinium includes blueberries, cranberries, and bilberries, and may include as many as 500 species worldwide. There are some other "berry" common names applied to Vaccinium as well, such as deerberry and huckleberry - both of those may also be applied to species in other genera as well. Since they are similar in appearance and can hybridize, identification can be difficult; fortunately the fine folks at the Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve had already identified these.

Elliott's Blueberry is a true blueberry in the sense that it is in the Cyanococcus section of Vaccinium; for those who subscribe to the narrower classifications, it is classified by some as Cyanococcus elliottii. It is primarily a species of the coastal plains of the southeastern United States, growing in bottomlands and on sandy slopes near rivers primarily in coastal plains from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas. It is also found in Coffee County, Tennessee (certainly NOT a coastal plain), where that disjunct population is Endangered.

Found in:
AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA

Leave comments on Vaccinium elliottii at this link.
Vaccinium elliottii

Distribution of Vaccinium elliottii in the United States and Canada:
Map unavailable.
Map courtesy of The Biota of North America Program.
Map color key

Search Our Database: Enter any portion of the Scientific, Common Name, or both.
Scientific name:
Common name:

Example: Enter "lob" in the common name field and you'll get all our species that have "lobelia" in the common name, as well as "sharp-lobed hepatica".

Do a general Google search of the entire site:


#ad

Follow on Twitter
Follow USWildflowers on Twitter



Site: Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve, Grady County, Ga Date: 2014-February-20Photographer: Gerald C. Williamson
Nikon D7000
Tamron SP 90MM f/2.8 AF Macro
The lovely white flowers (pink-hued before they are fully developed) of Elliotts Blueberry will form edible blueberry fruits.
Vaccinium elliottii
Site: Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve, Grady County, Ga Date: 2014-February-20Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D7000
The leaves are held on slender twigs and (when fully developed; here they are early) are up to about 1.5 inches long (usually an inch or less) with finely serrate margins. These leaves are smaller than those of most other "High Bush Blueberry" plants.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Vaccinium elliottii
Site: Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve, Grady County, Ga Date: 2014-February-20Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D7000
Vaccinium elliottii is an erect shrub growing up to 12 feet high. It has many woody stems which are green when young. It flowers in early spring before the leaves appear.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Vaccinium elliottii
References used for identification and information:
#ad
Vaccinium elliottii initially published on USWildflowers.com 2014-04-19; Updated 2017-02-10

Commercial / Cookie Notice

Looking for Wildflowers for a specific state? Check here:



All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2024
Photographs Copyright owned by the named photographer



Code Update 20230302