Bilberry

Revision as of 22:34, 12 March 2009 by Raffi (talk | contribs) (remove family)


Bilberry in flower


Plant Characteristics
Lifespan: perennial
Origin: [[Origin::temperate & subarctic regions]]
Cultivation
Water: damp"damp" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property.
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.

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

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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.

Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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

Varieties

Gallery

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References


External links