Vaccinium tenellum Aiton

  • Authority

    Sargent, Charles S. 1889. Vaccinium hirsutum. Gard. & Forest. 2: 364, 365, fig. 119.

  • Family

    Ericaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Vaccinium tenellum Aiton

  • Type

    Type locality: "North America" (probably Georgia). Introduced at Kew in 1772 by William Young.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants often in extensive colonies, 0.15-0.4 m. high. Leaves deciduous, green; the lower surface conspicuously glandular, pubescent along the midvein, or rarely glabrous; spatulate to narrowly elliptic, apically usually acute, 0.5-1.2(1.5) cm. wide, 2-3.5 (4) cm. long; the margin sharply serrate. Corolla narrowly urceolate, 4-6 mm. lohg, usually pink-tinged to deep pink, or even red. Fruit shining black, 5-8 mm. in diam., usually of poor flavor and texture.

  • Discussion

    Vaccinium galezans Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 232. 1803.

    Vaccinium virgatum var. tenellum A. Gray, Syn. Fl. N. A. 2 (1): 22. 1878.

    Cyanococcus tenellus Small, Man. SE. Fl. 1014, 1506. 1933.

    Diploid (2n = 24).

    V. tenellum hybridizes freely with such diploids as V. darrowi, elliottii, and vacillans; hybrids with caesariense and atrococcttm are also known. The forms of tenelltm with narrowly elliptic and/or glabrous leaves-now fairly common, especially throughout the southern part of the range-seem to' be the result of the flow of residual, non-selective genes through the population following ancient hybridizations, particularly with V. darrowi; discussions of other hybrids will be found under those species mentioned above.

  • Distribution

    Southeastern Virginia to Georgia and Alabama, reported from northern Florida and Mississippi; occasional low-growing forms from rocky hills in Arkan- sas may be this species. A plant of the outer Piedmont which, apparently during the later Tertiary and Pleistocene cycles of uplift, migrated to the coastal plain, wvhere it is now abundant, being found mostly in open forests and meadows; the colonies are particularly common in areas subject to periodic burning, where com- petition from tall grass

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