Herb: Rabbiteye Blueberry


Latin name: Vaccinium ashei


Synonyms: Polycodium ashei


Family: Ericaceae (Heath Family)



Edible parts of Rabbiteye Blueberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. It is often insipid but some forms are well-flavoured. The fruit is often used for preserves etc and can also be dried for later use. The fruit is up to 16mm in diameter.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
5 m
(16 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Swamps and barren pine land.

Propagation of Rabbiteye Blueberry:

Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse in a lime-free potting mix and only just cover the seed. Stored seed might require a period of up to 3 months cold stratification. Another report says that it is best to sow the seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Once they are about 5cm tall, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of soft wood, May/June in partial shade in media containing pine bark. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, August in a frame. Slow and difficult. Layering in late summer or early autumn. Another report says that spring is the best time to layer. Takes 18 months. Division of suckers in spring or early autumn.

Cultivation of the herb:

Swamps and barren pine land.

Medicinal use of Rabbiteye Blueberry:

None known

Known hazards of Vaccinium ashei:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.