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{{SPlantbox
| name = ''Vaccinium'' (see text)
|familia=Ericaceae
| common_names = Bilberry, European blueberry, blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry (or winberry), wimberry, myrtle blueberry, fraughan, black-hearts
|genus=Vaccinium
| growth_habit = shrub
|species=myrtillus
| high = <!--- 1m (3 ft) -->
|common_name=Bilberry, European blueberry, blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry (or winberry), etc
|habit=shrub
| origin = [[temperate]] & [[subarctic]] regions
|Min ht metric=cm
|origin=Europe, N Asia
| lifespan = perennial
|lifespan=perennial
| exposure = <!--- sun, part-sun, semi-shade, shade, indoors, bright filtered (you may list more than 1) -->
|exposure=part-sun
| water = damp
|water=wet, moist
| features = <!--- flowers, fragrance, naturalizes, invasive -->
|features=evergreen, deciduous, edible, fruit
| hardiness = <!--- frost sensitive, hardy, 5[[Celsius|°C]], etc -->
|Temp Metric=°F
| bloom = <!--- seasons which the plant blooms, if it is grown for its flowers -->
|min_zone=3
| usda_zones = <!--- eg. 8-11 -->
|usda_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
| sunset_zones = <!--- eg. 8, 9, 12-24, not available -->
|max_zone=9.5
|image=Vaccinum myrtillus 020503.jpg
| image = Vaccinum myrtillus 020503.jpg
|image_width=240
| image_width = 240px
|image_caption=Bilberry in flower
| image_caption = Bilberry in flower
}}
}}
'''Bilberry''' is a name used for several species of ''[[Vaccinium]]'' (genus) that bear [[false berry|fruit]] on low-growing [[shrub]]s. The species usually referred to as Bilberry is ''Vaccinium myrtillus'', also called the European blueberry. The bilberry has many other names, including blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry (or winberry), wimberry, myrtle blueberry, fraughan, and black-hearts.
'''Bilberry''' is a name used for several species of ''[[Vaccinium]]'' (genus) that bear [[false berry|fruit]] on low-growing [[shrub]]s. The species usually referred to as Bilberry is ''Vaccinium myrtillus'', also called the European blueberry. The bilberry has many other names, including blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry (or winberry), wimberry, myrtle blueberry, fraughan, and black-hearts.
Bilberries can be found growing in damp, [[acid]]ic [[soil]]s. [[North America]]n wild and cultivated [[blueberry|blueberries]] and [[huckleberry|huckleberries]] are in the same ''Vaccinium'' genus, but the inside of their fruit is light green/white, while the inside of the bilberry is red or purple, often staining the fingers and lips. The bilberry also produced singly or in pairs on the plants, while blueberries come in clusters.
Bilberries can be found growing in damp, [[acid]]ic [[soil]]s. [[North America]]n wild and cultivated [[blueberry|blueberries]] and [[huckleberry|huckleberries]] are in the same ''Vaccinium'' genus, but the inside of their fruit is light green/white, while the inside of the bilberry is red or purple, often staining the fingers and lips. The bilberry also produced singly or in pairs on the plants, while blueberries come in clusters.
{{Inc|
Vaccinium myrtillus, Linn. Whortleberry. Bilberry. Low glabrous shrub with sharply angled branches: lvs. 1/2 – 2/3 in. long, ovate or oval, serrate, conspicuously reticulate-veined, glabrous, thin and shining: corolla globular ovate; calyx-limb almost entire: berries black, nodding. Mountainous regions, Eu., Asia, possibly N. Amer.—"Generally used as an article of diet and in making of drinks, particularly in the Old World. It is from this species that the common name whortleberry is derived. It is not of much economic importance in Amer." The red-fruited form of the Rocky Mts., and the N. W. has been separated as V. scoparium, Leiberg, and is so recognized by Piper and by Coulter & Nelson. Its occurrence in the trade is doubtful.
}}
==Other Bilberry species==
==Other Bilberry species==
==Cultivation==
==Cultivation==
Bilberries are rarely cultivated but fruits are sometimes collected from wild plants growing on publicly accessible lands, notably in [[Fennoscandia]], [[Scotland]], [[Ireland]] and [[Poland]].
Bilberries are rarely cultivated but fruits are sometimes collected from wild plants growing on publicly accessible lands, notably in [[Fennoscandia]], [[Scotland]], [[Ireland]] and [[Poland]].
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