Difference between revisions of "Bilberry"

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{{otheruses}}
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{{SPlantbox
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{{Taxobox
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|familia=Ericaceae
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| color = lightgreen
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|genus=Vaccinium
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| name = Bilberry
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|species=myrtillus
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| image = Vaccinum myrtillus 020503.jpg
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|common_name=Bilberry, European blueberry, blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry (or winberry), etc
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| image_width = 240px
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|habit=shrub
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| image_caption = Bilberry in flower
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|Min ht metric=cm
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
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|origin=Europe, N Asia
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
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|lifespan=perennial
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| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
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|exposure=part-sun
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| ordo = [[Ericales]]
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|water=wet, moist
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| familia = [[Ericaceae]]
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|features=evergreen, deciduous, edible, fruit
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| genus = ''[[Vaccinium]]''
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|Temp Metric=°F
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| species = '''''V. myrtillus'''''
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|min_zone=3
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| binomial = ''Vaccinium myrtillus''
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|usda_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
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|max_zone=9.5
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|image=Vaccinum myrtillus 020503.jpg
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|image_width=240
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|image_caption=Bilberry in flower
 
}}
 
}}
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'''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.
  
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'''Bilberry''' is a name given to several species of low-growing [[shrub]]s in the [[genus]] ''[[Vaccinium]]'' (family [[Ericaceae]]) that bear tasty [[false berry|fruit]]s. The species most often referred to is ''Vaccinium myrtillus'' L., also known as blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry (or winberry), myrtle [[blueberry]], fraughan, and probably other names regionally. They were called black-hearts in 19th century southern England, according to [[Thomas Hardy]]'s 1878 novel, ''[[The Return of the Native]],'' (pg. 311, ''Oxford World's Classics'' edition).
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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.  
  
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[[Image:Blaeberry.jpeg|left|thumb|Bilberry fruit]]
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{{Inc|
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The word bilberry is also sometimes used in the common names of other species of the genus, including ''Vaccinium uliginosum'' L. (bog bilberry, bog blueberry, bog whortleberry, bog huckleberry, northern bilberry), ''Vaccinium caespitosum'' Michx. (dwarf bilberry), ''Vaccinium deliciosum'' Piper (Cascade bilberry), ''Vaccinium membranaceum'' (mountain bilberry, black mountain huckleberry, black huckleberry, twin-leaved huckleberry), and ''Vaccinium ovalifolium'' (oval-leafed blueberry, oval-leaved bilberry, mountain blueberry, high-bush blueberry).
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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.
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}}
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Bilberries are found in damp, [[acid]]ic [[soil]]s throughout the [[temperate]] and [[subarctic]] regions of the world. They are closely related to [[North America]]n wild and cultivated [[blueberry|blueberries]] and [[huckleberry|huckleberries]] in the genus ''Vaccinium''. The easiest way to distinguish the bilberry is that it produces single or pairs of berries on the bush instead of clusters like the blueberry. Another way to distinguish them is that while blueberry fruit meat is light green, bilberry is red or purple. In this way you can also distinguish the bilberry eater from the blueberry eater by his red fingers and lips. Bilberry is used as a food plant by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species - see [[list of Lepidoptera which feed on Vaccinium]].
 
  
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Bilberries are rarely cultivated but fruits are sometimes collected from wild plants growing on publicly accessible lands, notably in [[Fennoscandia]], [[Scotland]], [[Ireland]] and [[Poland]]. Notice that in Fennoscandia, it is an [[everyman's right]] to collect bilberries, irrespective of land ownership. In Ireland  the fruit is known as ''fraughan'' in English, from the [[Irish Gaelic|Irish]] ''fraochán'', and is traditionally gathered on the last Sunday in July, known as ''Fraughan Sunday''.
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==Other Bilberry species==
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The name bilberry is the common name sometimes applied to other Vaccinium species, including:
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* ''[[Vaccinium uliginosum]]'' L. (bog bilberry, bog blueberry, bog whortleberry, bog huckleberry, northern bilberry)
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* ''[[Vaccinium caespitosum]]'' Michx. (dwarf bilberry)
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* ''[[Vaccinium deliciosum]]'' Piper (Cascade bilberry)
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* ''[[Vaccinium membranaceum]]'' (mountain bilberry, black mountain huckleberry, black huckleberry, twin-leaved huckleberry)
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* ''[[Vaccinium ovalifolium]]'' (oval-leafed blueberry, oval-leaved bilberry, mountain blueberry, high-bush blueberry).
  
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Bilberries were also collected at [[Lughnassadh]] in August, the first traditional harvest festival of the year, as celebrated by the Gaelic people.  The crop of bilberries was said to indicate how well the rest of the crops would fare in their harvests later in the year.
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:''More information about this species can be found on the [[Vaccinium|genus page]].''
  
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The fruits can be eaten fresh, but are more usually made into [[jam]]s, [[fruit fool|fool]]s, [[juice]]s or [[pie]]s.  In [[French cuisine|France]] they are used as a base for [[liqueur]]s and are a popular flavouring for [[sorbet]]s and other desserts.  In [[Brittany]] they are often used as a flavouring for [[crêpe]]s, and in the [[Vosges]] and the [[Massif Central]] bilberry tart (''tarte aux myrtilles'') is the most traditional dessert.
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==Cultivation==
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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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== Medicinal uses ==
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===Propagation===
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[[image:The_fruits_of_our_labour.JPG|left|thumb|Bilberry fruit]]
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{{edit-prop}}<!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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Often associated with improvement of [[night vision]], bilberries are mentioned in a popular story of [[World War II]] [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] pilots consuming bilberry jam to sharpen vision for night missions. However, a recent study<ref>Muth ER, Laurent JM, Jasper P. The effect of bilberry nutritional supplementation on night visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. Altern Med Rev. 2000 Apr;5(2):164-73.
 
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[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=10767671 Abstract.]</ref> by the [[U.S. Navy]] found no such effect and origins of the RAF story cannot be found<ref>[http://www.webmd.com/content/article/11/1668_50777.htm] Bilberry Bombs, WebMD, October 2000</ref>.
 
  
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Laboratory studies have shown that bilberry consumption can inhibit or reverse eye disorders such as [[macular degeneration]]<ref>Fursova AZh, Gesarevich OG, Gonchar AM, Trofimova NA, Kolosova NG. Dietary supplementation with bilberry extract prevents macular degeneration and cataracts in senesce-accelerated OXYS rats. Adv Gerontol. 2005;16:76-9. (Article in Russian). [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=16075680 Abstract.]</ref>, but this therapeutic use  remains clinically unproven.
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===Pests and diseases===
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{{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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Bilberry is used as a food plant by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species - see [[list of Lepidoptera which feed on Vaccinium]].
  
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As a deep blue fruit, bilberries contain dense levels of [[anthocyanin]] [[pigment]]s that have been linked experimentally to lowered risk for several diseases<ref>[http://www.npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?articleid=18944&zoneid=201] Gross PM. Scientists zero in on health benefits of berry pigments, ''Natural Products Information Center'', July 2007</ref>, such as those of the [[heart]] and [[cardiovascular]] system, [[eyes]] and [[cancer]]<ref>Bell DR, Gochenaur K. Direct vasoactive and vasoprotective properties of anthocyanin-rich extracts.
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==Varieties==
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J Appl Physiol. 2006 Apr;100(4):1164-70. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=16339348 Abstract.]</ref><ref>Chung HK, Choi SM, Ahn BO, Kwak HH, Kim JH, Kim WB. Efficacy of troxerutin on streptozotocin-induced rat model in the early stage of diabetic retinopathy. Arzneimittelforschung. 2005;55(10):573-80. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=16294503 Abstract.]</ref><ref>Roy S, Khanna S, Alessio HM, Vider J, Bagchi D, Bagchi M, Sen CK. Anti-angiogenic property of edible berries. Free Radic Res. 2002 Sep;36(9):1023-31.[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=12448828 Abstract.]</ref>.
 
  
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In [[folk medicine]], bilberry leaves were used to treat [[Gastrointestinal tract|gastrointestinal]] ailments, applied topically or made into infusions. Such effects have not been proved scientifically.
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==Gallery==
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{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery  -->
  
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[[Image:Norwegian blueberries.jpg|thumb|Wild bilberries collected in [[Norway]].]]
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<gallery>
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image:The_fruits_of_our_labour.JPG|Bilberry fruit
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Image:Blaeberry.jpeg|Bilberry fruit
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Image:Norwegian blueberries.jpg|Wild bilberries collected in [[Norway]].
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</gallery>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references />
 
<references />
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
  
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== External links ==
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==External links==
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{{commons|Vaccinium myrtillus|Bilberry}}
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*{{wplink}}
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*[http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.blaeberry.html Species profile: Blaeberry]
 
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*[http://www.stevenfoster.com/education/monograph/bilberry.html Bilberry and Herbal Medicine]
 
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*[http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/erica/vacci/vaccmyrv.jpg Den virtuelle floran - Distribution]
 
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==See also==
 
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*[[List of fruits]]
 
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*[[List of vegetables]]
 
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[[Category:Ericaceae]]
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{{stub}}
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[[Category:Alpine flora]]
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__NOTOC__
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[[Category:Flora of Europe]]
 
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[[Category:Flora of Greenland]]
 
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[[Category:Flora of Estonia]]
 
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[[Category:Flora of the United Kingdom]]
 
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[[Category:Flora of Idaho]]
 
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[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
 

Latest revision as of 01:17, 19 March 2010


Bilberry in flower


Plant Characteristics
Habit   shrub

Lifespan: ⌛ perennial
Origin: ✈ Europe, N Asia
Cultivation
Exposure: ☼ part-sun
Water: ◍ wet, moist
Features: ✓ evergreen, deciduous, edible, fruit
USDA Zones: 3 to 9.5
Scientific Names

Ericaceae >

Vaccinium >

myrtillus >


Bilberry is a name used for several species of Vaccinium (genus) that bear fruit on low-growing shrubs. 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, acidic soils. North American wild and cultivated blueberries and 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.


Read about Bilberry in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

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.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Other Bilberry species

The name bilberry is the common name sometimes applied to other Vaccinium species, including:

More information about this species can be found on the genus page.

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.

Propagation

Do you have propagation info on this plant? Edit this section!

Pests and diseases

Do you have pest and disease info on this plant? Edit this section!

Bilberry is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera which feed on Vaccinium.

Varieties

Gallery

If you have a photo of this plant, please upload it! Plus, there may be other photos available for you to add.

  • Bilberry fruit

  • Bilberry fruit

  • Wild bilberries collected in Norway.

References


External links


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