Vaccinium erythrocarpum, commonly known as southern mountain cranberry or bearberry, more rarely as mountain blueberry or dingleberry, is a deciduous flowering shrub native to the Southeastern United States.
Description
Vaccinium erythrocarpum flowers bloom in June. They are hermaphrodite, of a tubular shape with reflexed petals, and they have long tassel-like stamens that drape below the corolla. They produce somewhat translucent scarlet berries that set in late summer or early autumn. The fruits taste quite similar to other cranberries.
Taxonomy
Vaccinium erythrocarpum was long considered synonymous with V. japonicum, found in East Asia, however the two have since been split into separate species.
Ecology
The flowers are pollinated by insects (primarily large bees). Their berries are edible, and are consumed readily by wildlife. The plant generally grows in woodlands and areas of dappled shade, primarily in mixed oak-heath forests. This species is commonly found on Southern Appalachian heath balds, where it is often a prominent member of the shrub layer.
Uses
The berries are edible. The rarity of the plants and the small quantity of fruits they produce restrict commercial production.