ovatum – shaped like an egg, from ovum (Latin)

Native range: British Columbia to California

Leaves:

• alternate
• simple
• leathery
• ovate (2–5 cm long)
• ~ 2-ranked, aligned horizontally along the stem
• serrulate (small teeth)
• new growth red
• upper surface – glossy green
• underside – paler green

Flowers:

• inflorescence – short branched clusters of 3–10 in axils of leaves
• urn-shaped flowers
• 5-lobes
• white or pink

Fruit:

• berry
• round
• black
• shiny
• 4–7 mm
• contain numerous small seeds
• edible (very tasty)
• ripen in the fall and remain on bushes until December

Other characteristics:

• evergreen shrub to 12 ft. (0.5–4 m.)
• branchlets reddish, young are pubescent (hairy)
• in PNW, our only Vaccinium species with leathery, evergreen leaves, and flowers in racemes

Relevant info:

• harvested for use in floral arrangements
• in some areas, has been over-harvested/exploited according to Kruckeberg (UW botany prof)
• can be planted as hedge plant or ground cover
• according to Great Plant Picks, one of the most versatile and underused native plants of the PNW
• Native Americans valued this berry throughout its range, often traveling miles in order to collect them during seasonal rounds

Ecology & Adaptations:

• native from British Columbia south to California
• in Washington, occurring west of the Cascades crest
• found in coniferous forests (esp. edges and openings) at low elevations
• often on the beach fringe in the salt spray zone, usually close to tidewater
• also epiphytic on trunks of redwoods
• near sea level to 300 ft. in Oregon, and to 3,000 feet (0–914 m.) in CA
• vegetative regeneration:
  • sprouts from well-developed root crown structure after aboveground vegetation is damaged by fire, herbivory and mechanical damage
  • does not appear to produce rhizomes
• pollinated by long-tongued bees such as bumblebees
• seeds are widely dispersed by birds and mammals
• herbivory/pathogen defense – cinnamic acid derivatives and flavonol glycosides
• shade tolerant but also grows in full sun
• tolerates low nutrients:
  • require relatively small amounts of many essential elements and are capable of growing on many relatively infertile, nitrogen-poor soils
  • association with ericoid mycorrhizal fungus aids nutrient and water absorption
  • evergreen leaves conserve nutrients
• drought tolerant:
  • though grows in moist climates, can tolerate drier conditions
  • leathery leaves retain moisture
  • mycorrhizae aid water uptake
• wildlife:
  • important browse for elk in some areas
  • berries are eaten by many species of birds and mammals
  • important food source for grizzly and black bears
  • berries eaten by other small mammals such as chipmunks, red fox, squirrels, gray fox, and skunks
  • dense thickets may serve as hiding, resting, or nesting sites for many birds and mammals