| Vaccinium arboreum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Vaccinium |
| Species: | V. arboreum |
| Binomial name | |
| Vaccinium arboreum Marshall 1785 | |
 | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Vaccinium arboreum (sparkleberry or farkleberry) is a species of Vaccinium native to the southeastern and south-central United States.
Vaccinium arboreum is a shrub (rarely a small tree) growing to 3–5 metres (10–16+1⁄2 ft), rarely 9 m (30 ft) tall,[ citation needed ] with a diameter at breast height of up to 35 centimetres (14 in). [4] The leaves are evergreen in the south of the range, but deciduous further north where winters are colder; they are oval-elliptic with an acute apex, 3–7 cm (1+1⁄4–2+3⁄4 in) long and 2–4 cm broad, with a smooth or very finely toothed margin.
The flowers are white, bell-shaped, and 3–4 millimetres (1⁄8–3⁄16 in) in diameter with a five-lobed corolla, produced in racemes up to 5 cm (2 in) long. The fruit is a round dry berry about 6 mm (1⁄4 in) in diameter, green at first, black when ripe, bitter and tough. [4] Cytology is 2n = 24. [5]
Sparkleberry could be found in the United States from southern Virginia west to southeastern Nebraska, south to Florida and eastern Texas, and north to Illinois. [6] [7] It grows in sandy and rocky habitats, including dry woods. It also grows on a variety of moist sites such as wet bottomlands and along creek banks. [4]
The berries are eaten by various wildlife. [8]
Because of its relative hardiness in comparison to other Vaccinium species, V. arboreum has been investigated as a potential rootstock for expanding the range of blueberry cultivation to less acidic soils (pH>6.0) and reducing the severity of bacterial leaf scorch. [9]
 | This Ericaceae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
