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Plant Species of the genus Vaccinium
Information about this genus
Name: Vaccinium
Cultivation: CULTIVATION: As with most plants of the erica family, Vaccinium prefers cool, moist, humus-rich soil that is acidic and well drained with shelter from the hottest summer sun. Some species thrive in boggy ground in the wild, but in cultivation the type of conditions preferred by rhododendrons and camellias tend to give the best results. Many Vaccinium form dense thickets of stems and can be cut back hard to encourage compact growth. The shrubbier species should
be pruned to shape: after flowering if the fruit is not required, otherwise at harvest. Propagate from seed, cuttings, layers and in some cases division.
Description: This genus of around 450 species of evergreen and deciduous shrubs, small trees and vines includes the blueberries, cranberries and huckleberries as well as the delightfully named farkleberry, whortleberry and bilberry. They occur over much of the Northern Hemisphere with a few species found in South Africa. Their main features are small but colorful and/or edible fruits, often very tasty, and sometimes vivid autumn foliage. Their flowers too can be attractive, usually small, urn-shaped and downward-facing, carried singly or in clusters. The leaves are usually simple, oval to lance-shaped, often pointed at the tip and sometimes serrated around their edges.
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