Terms of flowering honey plants in the USA and Canada

According to observations of naturalists and beekeepers.

Where are you?


Common name:

Lowbush blueberry

Scientific name:

Vaccinium angustifolium.

Life form:

Shrub.

Flowering time:

no data.

Flowering period

in Tennessee for this plant is: MayJune.

NECTAR PRODUCTION:
No data

SOURCE FOR HONEY BEES:
Minor in most areas


General distribution:

Lowbush blueberry grows from Labrador and Newfoundland westward to southern Manitoba and Minnesota.  It extends southward to northern Illinois in the West, and from New England through the Appalachians to West Virginia and Virginia in the East.

Lowbush blueberry is an important recolonizer.  Its sprouts are prominent on disturbed sites such as clearcuts, burns, fields, and pastures.  Cover is typically higher on fields derived from hayfields than those derived from woodlots.  Lowbush blueberry is an important seral species during the transition from field to forest in various eastern old-field communities.

Map of distribution and habitat in USA

This plant is present in at least 30 states/provinces in this country.

See The Map

Botanical description:

Vaccinium angustifolium is a low spreading deciduous shrub growing 5 to 60 cm (2 to 24 in) tall. Its rhizomes can lay dormant up to 100 years, and when given the adequate amount of sunlight, soil moisture, and oxygen content they will sprout. The leaves are glossy blue-green in summer, turning a variety of reds in the fall. The leaf shape is broad to elliptical. Buds are brownish red in stem axils. The flowers are white, bell-shaped, 4 to 6 mm (0.16 to 0.24 in) long. The fruit is a small sweet dark blue to black berry, full of antioxidants and flavonoids. This plant grows best in wooded areas, old abandoned farmyards or open areas with well-drained acidic soils. 

Seasonal development:

Phenological development of lowbush blueberry varies according to geographic location and specific weather conditions. Temperature and day length are important regulatory influences. Initial floral development begins in the year before flowering and fruiting.  Floral bud primordia appear during June and early July when day length reaches approximately 15 hours.  Development may continue until late October if air temperatures remain above 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 deg C) with long periods above 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 deg C).  Leaves harden by mid-July, color by late August, and abscise by late October.

Plants generally flower in May or June of their 2nd year.  A few flowers may open as early as March in unusually good years, and some plants occasionally flower as late as September or October. Flowering may be delayed by 2 or 3 weeks in cool, coastal areas. Fruit generally ripens from midsummer to late summer, approximately 50 days after anthesis.


Average rating 4.2/5 based on 10 reviews.



You can share information about this plant with your friends in your Facebook feed.


List of honey plants that may be blooming now in Tennessee
See the entire list

Acer rubrum (aka: Red maple, Scarlet maple)

Salix nigra (aka: Black willow, Swamp willow, Southwestern black willow, Gulf black willow, Scythe-leaved willow)

Acer saccharinum (aka: Silver maple, Soft maple)

Cercis canadensis (aka: Eastern redbud, Redbud, Cersis Reniformis)

Malus angustifolia (aka: American crab apple, Buncombe crab apple, Crabtree, Narrowleaf crab, Narrowleaf crab apple, Southern crab, Southern crab apple)

Aronia arbutifolia (aka: Red chokeberry)

Amelanchier arborea (aka: Common serviceberry, Downy serviceberry, Juneberry, Shadbush, Shadblow, Sugarplum)

Ulmus americana (aka: American elm, White elm, Water elm, Soft elm, Florida elm)

Prunus serotina (aka: Black cherry, Wild black cherry, Rum cherry, Mountain black cherry, Wild cherry)

Prunus americana (aka: American plum, Goose plum, River plum, Wild plum)

Pyrus communis (aka: European pear, Common pear)

Celtis laevigata (aka: Hackberry, Sugarberry, Lowland hackberry, Sugar hackberry, Arizona sugarberry, Netleaf hackberry, Small's hackberry, Southern hackberry, Texas sugarberry)

Acer negundo (aka: Boxelder, Western boxelder, Arizona boxelder, California boxelder, Texas boxelder, Interior boxelder, Violet boxelder)

Vaccinium corymbosum (aka: Highbush blueberry, High-bush blueberry, Northern highbush blueberry, Tall blueberry, Rabbiteye blueberry, Blue huckleberry, Tall huckleberry, Swamp huckleberry, High blueberry, Swamp blueberry)