BLUEBERRIES FOR LOCAL SALES AND PICK-YOUR -OWN OPERATIONS
BLUEBERRIES FOR LOCAL SALES AND PICK-YOUR
-OWN OPERATIONS
BLUEBERRY SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MAP--
Cultivated blueberry varieties were developed from wild
populations native only to North America. Every county in North
Carolina has at least one wild blueberry species, often
several.
SPARKLEBERRY--This wild type
(Vaccinium arboreum) is native to dry woodlands in the
piedmont and coastal plain. Berries (not especially edible)
often persist until January.
A CLUMP FORMING WILD SPECIES from the NC
moutains, V. constablaei has excellent "wild blueberry"
flavor and light blue fruit.
DARROW'S EVERGREEN BLUEBERRY is native
to north Florida and has been used as a breeding parent to
introduce drought tolerance into new cultivars. The bushes are
also used as an ornamental plant in the landscape.
VACCINIUM SPECIES HARVESTED
COMMERCIALLY
IN THE UNITED STATES Highbush, rabbiteye and lowbush blueberries
are harvested commercially, as is the cranberry. Cranberries are
also a Vaccinium species.
A LOWBUSH BLUEBERRY FIELD IN MAINE--This
looks like a weedy pasture, but is actually a lowbush blueberry
field(V. angustifolium) at harvest time. These native
stands occur in Maine and Canada.
LOWBUSH BLUEBERRY HARVEST--Lowbush
blueberries are rake-harvested, and most of the berries are used
for processing (canned or frozen) rather than for fresh
eating.
NC RABBITEYE BLUEBERRY ACREAGE--Most
pick-your-own plantings in the piedmont and coastal plain of NC
are planted with rabbiteye cultivars (V. ashei).
A MATURE FRUITING RABBITEYE BUSH--
Rabbiteye cultivars are more widely adapted to different soil
types, and the fruit is less susceptible to decay than highbush
types. Rabbiteye cultivars ripen from late June through August
in coastal NC.
A CLOSEUP OF RABBITEYE FRUIT--The
'rabbiteye' name probably derives from the eye-like appearance of
the calyx, which often lacks the erect calyx lobes evident on the
fruit of other blueberry species.
NC HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY ACREAGE--
Commercial plantings in southeastern NC account for most of the
acreage in the state. NC is the third-largest blueberry
producing state in the US after Michigan and New Jersey.
| 1 2 3 4 5 | Next |  |