Herb: Western Blueberry


Latin name: Vaccinium occidentalis


Family: Ericaceae (Heath Family)



Edible parts of Western Blueberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Habitat of the herb:

Wet meadows and wet places, 1500 - 3300 metres in California.

Propagation of Western 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 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:

Wet meadows and wet places, 1500 - 3300 metres in California.

Medicinal use of Western Blueberry:

None known

Known hazards of Vaccinium occidentalis:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.