huckleberry, any of several species of small fruit-bearing shrubs of the genus Gaylussacia (family Ericaceae). The plants are found throughout eastern North America and the Andes and other mountainous regions of South America. Huckleberry fruits are edible and resemble blueberries (Vaccinium species), to which they are closely related. The plants can be cultivated and require acidic and moist but well-drained soil.

Physical description

Huckleberry plants are deciduous shrubs or subshrubs with simple oblong leaves. Young stems and leaves can be waxy or hairy, depending on the species. The small urn-shaped flowers, sometimes solitary but typically borne in small clusters, can be greenish, red, white, or pinkish. The fleshy fruits have 10 small seeds.

Major species

The common huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) of the eastern United States and Canada is also called black, or high-bush, huckleberry. Dwarf huckleberry (G. dumosa) extends from Florida to Newfoundland. Box huckleberry (G. brachycera), native to the eastern and central United States, can form huge clones, some of which are thousands of years old, by vegetative reproduction.

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The red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) of the southern United States is commonly called the southern cranberry.