Herb: Bear Huckleberry


Latin name: Gaylussacia ursina


Synonyms: Decachaena ursina, Vaccinium ursinum


Family: Ericaceae (Heath Family)



Edible parts of Bear Huckleberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. Insipid.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
180 cm
(6 feet)

Flowering:
May to
June

Habitat of the herb:

Wooded slopes and summits, often in acid humus.

Propagation of Bear Huckleberry:

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 the herb:

Wooded slopes and summits, often in acid humus.

Medicinal use of Bear Huckleberry:

None known

Known hazards of Gaylussacia ursina:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.