Herb: Black Huckleberry


Latin name: Gaylussacia baccata


Synonyms: Andromeda baccata, Gaylussacia resinosa, Vaccinium resinosum


Family: Ericaceae (Heath Family)



Medicinal use of Black Huckleberry:

An infusion of the leaves, or the bark, has been used in the treatment of dysentery. An infusion of the leaves has been used in the treatment of Bright's disease.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
May to
June

Habitat of the herb:

Dry or moist woods, thickets and clearings, on acidic sandy soils.

Edible parts of Black Huckleberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. Deliciously spicy and sweet, they can be eaten out of hand or used in pies, preserves etc. They can also be dried for later use. The dried fruit can be ground into a powder then mixed with cereal flours to make bread. The fruit is rather seedy. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 1 month warm stratification followed by 2 months cold. 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. Layering. Division in spring.

Cultivation of Black Huckleberry:

Dry or moist woods, thickets and clearings, on acidic sandy soils.

Known hazards of Gaylussacia baccata:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.