Practical
Plants

Gaylussacia dumosa

Dwarf Huckleberry

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Ericaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
0.3 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

Fruit - raw or cooked and used as a pie filling etc[9][11][6]. Juicy and deliciously spicy[6]. Watery and insipid[8], though commonly eaten according to another report[4]. Not much valued[2]. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter[8].

Plant part
Fruit

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Florida and Louisiana.
Habitat
Dry barrens and pinelands[10] near the coast[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
very acid, acid
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame[7]. Stored seed requires 1 month warm stratification followed by 2 months cold[3]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots of lime-free compost and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer when they are at least 15cm tall. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[7]. Layering. Division in spring.

Cultivation

Requires a lime-free moist peaty soil, thriving in sun or part shade[1][5]. Prefers a sandy soil[2]. Succeeds in wetter soils than other members of this genus[7]. Plants are hardy to about -15°c[7]. A very ornamental[1] and freely suckering shrub[5].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩

  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  5. Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2

    ↩1↩2

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩1↩2

  9. Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7

    ↩

  10. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  11. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩

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