This article is about the North American blueberry. For the Eurasian blueberry, see Bilberry.

For other uses,

Blueberry

Vaccinium caesariense

Scientific classification

Kingdo Plantae

m:

Clade: Tracheophytes

Clade: Angiosperms

Clade: Eudicots

Clade: Asterids

Order: Ericales

Family Ericaceae

Genus Vaccinium

Sectio Vaccinium sect. Cyan

n: ococcus
 Rydb.

Species

See text

Blueberries showing various stages of maturation. IG = Immature

Blueberry is a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plant with blue or purple berries. They
are classified in the section Cyanococcus within the genus Vaccinium. Vaccinium also
includes cranberries, bilberries, huckleberries and Madeira blueberries.[1] Commercial blueberries—both wild
(lowbush) and cultivated (highbush)—are all native to North America. The highbush varieties were introduced into
Europe during the 1930s.[2]

Blueberries are usually prostrate shrubs that can vary in size from 10 centimeters (4 inches) to 4 meters (13 feet) in
height. In commercial production of blueberries, the species with small, pea-size berries growing on low-level bushes
are known as "lowbush blueberries" (synonymous with "wild"), while the species with larger berries growing on taller,
cultivated bushes are known as "highbush blueberries". Canada is the leading producer of lowbush blueberries, while
the United States produces some 40% of the world supply of highbush blueberries.

Origin and history of cultivation[edit]

Fresh blueberries

The genus Vaccinium has a mostly circumpolar distribution, with species mainly present in North America, Europe,
and Asia.[1] Many commercially available species with English common names including "blueberry" are from North
America,[3] particularly Atlantic Canada and the northeastern United States for wild (lowbush) blueberries, and several
US states and British Columbia for cultivated (highbush) blueberries.[4][5] First Nations peoples of Canada consumed
wild blueberries for millennia.[4] Highbush blueberries were first cultivated in New Jersey around the beginning of the
20th century.[5][3]

North American native species of blueberries are grown commercially in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia, New
Zealand and South American nations. The Colombian or Andean blueberry, Vaccinium meridionale, is wild-harvested
and commonly available locally.[6] Several other wild shrubs of the genus Vaccinium also produce commonly eaten
blue berries, such as the predominantly European Vaccinium myrtillus and other bilberries, which in many languages
have a name that translates to "blueberry" in English.

Description[edit]
Five species of blueberries grow wild in Canada, including Vaccinium myrtilloides, Vaccinium
angustifolium and Vaccinium corymbosum, which grow on forest floors or near swamps.[7] Wild (lowbush) blueberries
are not planted by farmers, but rather are managed on berry fields called "barrens".[4]

Wild blueberries reproduce by cross pollination, with each seed producing a plant with a different genetic
composition, causing within the same species differences in growth, productivity, color, leaf characteristics, disease
resistance, flavor, and other fruit characteristics.[7] The mother plant develops underground stems called rhizomes,
allowing the plant to form a network of rhizomes creating a large patch (called a clone) which is genetically distinct.
[7]
Floral and leaf buds develop intermittently along the stems of the plant, with each floral bud giving rise to 5–6
flowers and the eventual fruit.[7] Wild blueberries prefer an acidic soil between 4.2 and 5.2 pH and only moderate
amounts of moisture.[7] They have a hardy cold tolerance in their Canadian range and the U.S. state of Maine.[7] Fruit
productivity of lowbush blueberries varies by the degree of pollination, genetics of the clone, soil fertility, water
availability, insect infestation, plant diseases and local growing conditions.[7] Wild (lowbush) blueberries have an
average mature weight of 0.3 grams (1⁄128 oz).[7]

Highbush (cultivated) blueberries prefer sandy or loam soils, having shallow root systems that benefit
from mulch and fertilizer.[8] The leaves of highbush blueberries can be either deciduous or evergreen, ovate
to lanceolate, and 1–8 cm (1⁄2–3+1⁄4 in) long and 0.5–3.5 cm (1⁄4–1+3⁄8 in) broad. The flowers are bell-shaped, white, pale
pink or red, sometimes tinged greenish.
The fruit is a berry 5–16 mm (3⁄16–5⁄8 in) in diameter with a flared crown at the end; they are pale greenish at first, then
reddish-purple, and finally uniformly blue when ripe.[8] They are covered in a protective coating of powdery epicuticular
wax, colloquially known as the "bloom".[7] They generally have a sweet taste when mature, with variable acidity.[7]
[8]
Blueberry bushes typically bear fruit in the middle of the growing season: fruiting times are affected by local
conditions such as climate, altitude and latitude, so the time of harvest in the northern hemisphere can vary from May
to August.[7][8]

A blueberry is a small, round fruit with a blue or purple skin and a sweet taste. Fruits
guessing game in English for kids | Fun ESL Guessing Quiz & Activities ...

Blueberry, Brussels sprouts. Cabbage, Carrot. Cantaloupe, Cauliflower. Cherry,

Blueberry: types of fruits with seeds Save. Blueberries are small, round berries that get
their name from the bluish, purple skin. They belong to the genus ...

Different Types of Fruits List

If you want to learn the kinds of fruits in English, be sure to check out this list. Scroll
down to see the pictures!

apple

apricot

avocado

banana

blackberry

blueberry

cherry

coconut

dragon fruit

durian

grape

grapefruit
kiwi

lemon

lime

mandarin

mango

melon

orange

passion fruit

peach

pear

persimmon

pineapple

plum

pomegranate

raspberry

strawberry

watermelon