Bilberry

Description

Of the family of the Ericaceae , the bilberries (of Portuguese airella , of Latin will atra : “flaring”) are small Arbuste S from 20 to 50 cm in height, phylogenetically related with the Bruyère S, the Rhododendron S and Azalée S, with the Arbousier and the busserole. The name indicates as well the plant as its fruit.

Habitat

Their geographical distribution extends from the zones circumboréales to the Montagne S of the tropical zones, in particular in North America and in the old solid masses of Europe. Like all Éricacées, they are plants acidophiles.

Sheets

The Sheet S, coriaces, alternate, are lancéolées, elliptic, oval or round, whole or are cogged. The foliage is generally persistent, only some null and void species being .

Flowers

The Fleur S hatch in spring and in summer, recluses, with the armpit of the sheets, or in axillaires bunches or final. They are small, cylindrical, globulous or bell-shaped - in the shape of bell -, green, white, pink or red. They have a formed chalice of five lobes, a corolla in small bell with five lobes rolled up towards outside, ten cheesecloths and only one pistil.

Fruits

The Fruit S are bays - fleshy fruits, indéhiscents, whose seeds are drowned in pulp - often spherical, red, blue - from where the name of cornflower - or black. The bays being edible, some species, in particular Vaccinium angustifolium, Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Vaccinium oxycoccos and Vaccinium myrtillus , the Bilberry, are cultivated for their fruits.

Current species

The kind Vaccinium gather more than 400 species, of which most widespread are:

Vaccinium angustifolium (bilberry with narrow sheets, wild cornflower)
Vaccinium macrocarpon (bilberry with large fruits, cranberry with large cranberries)
Vaccinium oxycoccos (bilberry cranberry, cranberry or cranberries)
Vaccinium vitis-idaea (bilberry vine of Ida, cranberry)
Vaccinium myrtillus (the bilberry).
Vaccinium uliginosum (uliginous bilberry or Bilberry of the marshes)

Vaccinium corymbosum (bilberry in corymbe, cultivated cornflower)

The bilberry in corymbe gives the largest bays, being easily 2 cm in diameter. It is the species most cultivated in North America, particularly in the east of the the United States.

Vaccinium myrtilloides (bilberry false-bilberry, cornflower)

The false-bilberry is a shrub of 30 cm attending the dry mediums on the coarse ground or the wet places, the such peat bogs. It often divides the same habitats with bilberry with narrow sheet ( Vaccinium angustifolium ), with which it is often confused.

The flowers, bell-shaped, are white or dew.

Principal other species

Production

External bonds

'' Conua Bilberry Cranberry Cranberry ''
Study and Recherche on the cranberry juice

Nds-nl: Bosbezen Simple: Vaccinium

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