{{Short description|Berry and plant}} {{speciesbox |image = Vaccinium parvifolium 14911.JPG |image_caption = Fruit and leaves in Issaquah, Washington |taxon = Vaccinium parvifolium |authority = Sm. |}}
'''''Vaccinium parvifolium''''', the '''red huckleberry''', is a species of ''Vaccinium'' native to western North America.
==Description== It is a deciduous shrub growing to {{convert|4|m|abbr=off}} tall with bright green shoots with an angular cross-section. The leaves are ovate to oblong-elliptic, {{convert|9 to 30|mm|abbr=off|frac=4}} long, and {{convert|4 to 16|mm|abbr=on|frac=8}} wide, with an entire margin.<ref name="holm">{{cite web|url=http://academic.evergreen.edu/projects/evergreenbiota/kingdom/plantae/phylum/anthophyta/family/ericaceae/genus/vaccinium/species/parvifolium/holm-30jun04.html|title=The Natural History of Vaccinium parvifolium Smith, the Red Huckleberry|author=Holm FG|date=May 2004|publisher=The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington|access-date=November 25, 2014|archive-date=September 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919001706/http://academic.evergreen.edu/projects/evergreenbiota/kingdom/plantae/phylum/anthophyta/family/ericaceae/genus/vaccinium/species/parvifolium/holm-30jun04.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The nodding flowers appear singly in leaf axils. The flowers are yellow-white to pinkish, decumbent, bell-shaped, and {{convert|4 to 5|mm|abbr=on|frac=16}} long.<ref name="holm"/><ref name="tktimb">{{Cite book |last1=Turner |first1=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VLbAAwAAQBAJ |title=Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest |last2=Kuhlmann |first2=Ellen |date=2014 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-1-60469-263-1 |edition=1st |location=Portland, OR |pages=182}}</ref>
The fruit is an edible red to orange berry {{convert|6 to 10|mm|abbr=on|frac=16}} in diameter.<ref name="holm"/> Cytology is 2n = 24.
{{gallery|mode=packed |Vaccinium parvifolium.jpg|Whole plant |Vaccinium parvifolium_38913.JPG|Blossoms |Vaccinium parvifolium 04041.JPG|Fresh leaves and buds |Red huckleberries (5970453984).jpg|Leaves and berries |Vaccinium parvifolium 0324.JPG|Close-up of leaves and fruit }}
==Distribution and habitat== It is common in forests from southeastern Alaska and British Columbia south through western Washington and Oregon to central California.
In the Oregon Coast Range, it is the most common ''Vaccinium''.<ref name="Pojar">{{cite book |last1=Pojar |first1=Jim |url=https://archive.org/details/plantspacificnor00poja |title=Plants Of The Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska |last2=MacKinnon |first2=Andy |publisher=Lone Pine Publishing |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-55105-530-5 |location=Auburn, WA |page=[https://archive.org/details/plantspacificnor00poja/page/n10 105] |url-access=limited}}</ref> It grows in moist, shaded woodlands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vaccinium parvifolium |url=https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=47692 |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=ucjeps.berkeley.edu}}</ref>
==Ecology== Birds, bears, and small mammals eat the berries. Deer and some livestock forage the foliage.<ref>{{cite book |last=Whitney |first=Stephen |title=Western Forests (The Audubon Society Nature Guides) |date=1985 |publisher=Knopf |location=New York |isbn=0-394-73127-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/westernforests00whit/page/419 419] |url=https://archive.org/details/westernforests00whit/page/419 }}</ref>
== Cultivation == The species is cultivated in the specialty horticulture trade with limited availability as an ornamental plant: for natural landscaping, native plant, and habitat gardens; wildlife gardens; and restoration projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnplx.info/nplx/species?taxon=Vaccinium+parvifolium|publisher=California Native Plant Link Exchange|title=Vaccinium parvifolium|access-date=November 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_hort.pl?taxon=Vaccinium%20parvifolium |publisher=Jepson Horticultural Database |title=''Vaccinium parvifolium''|access-date=November 25, 2014}}</ref> Another cultivated species of similar size and habitats is the evergreen ''Vaccinium ovatum'' (evergreen huckleberry).
As a crop plant (along with the other huckleberries of the genus in western North America), it is not currently grown on a large commercial agriculture scale, despite efforts to make this possible.<!-- This source doesn't support the claim that the plant isn't currently grown at a commercial scale --> It requires acidic soil (pH of 4.5 to 6) and does not tolerate root disturbance.<ref name="future">{{cite web | url = http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Vaccinium+parvifolium | title = Vaccinium parvifolium | work = Plants for a Future|access-date=November 25, 2014}}</ref>
==Uses== Huckleberries can be eaten fresh or dried or prepared as a tea or jelly.<ref name="holm" /><ref name="future" />
Indigenous peoples of North America—including the Bear River Band, Karok, and Pomo tribes<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nyerges|first=Christopher|title=Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods|publisher=Falcon Guides|year=2017|isbn=978-1-4930-2534-3|location=Guilford, CT|oclc=965922681}}</ref>—found the plant and its fruit very useful.<ref name=holm/> The bright red, acidic berries were used extensively for food throughout the year. Fresh berries were eaten in large quantities, or used for fish bait because of the resemblance to salmon eggs. Berries were also dried for later use. Dried berries were stewed and made into sauces, or mixed with salmon roe and oil to eat at winter feasts.<ref name=holm/>
The bark or leaves of the plant were brewed for a bitter cold remedy, made as tea or smoked.<ref name=holm/> The branches were used as brooms, and the twigs were used to fasten western skunk cabbage leaves into berry baskets.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Vaccinium parvifolium}} *{{GRIN}} *[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Vaccinium+parvifolium Jepson Flora Project: ''Vaccinium parvifolium''] *[https://archive.today/20121212200728/http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Vaccinium+parvifolium Native American Ethnobotany: ''Vaccinium parvifolium''] *[http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Vaccinium+parvifolium Plants of British Columbia: ''Vaccinium parvifolium''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218140418/http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Vaccinium+parvifolium |date=2020-02-18 }} *[https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=VAPA USDA: ''Vaccinium parvifolium'']
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3299248}}
parvifolium Category:Berries Category:Flora of the West Coast of the United States Category:Flora of Alaska Category:Flora of British Columbia Category:Flora of Oregon Category:Flora of Washington (state) Category:Flora of California<!---for regions not below---> Category:Flora of the Cascade Range Category:Flora of the Klamath Mountains Category:Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Category:Plants used in Native American cuisine Category:Garden plants of North America Category:Bird food plants Category:Flora without expected TNC conservation status