Vaccinium elliottii

Vaccinium elliottii is a deciduous shrub tall, with small, simple ovoid-acute leaves long with a finely serrated margin. The flowers are pale pink, bell-shaped, long, opening in the early spring before the new leaves appear. The fruit is an edible berry 5–8 mm diameter. There are two variants one having tart shiny blue black berries and the other sweeter type having a whitish waxy bloom over the otherwise blue black berries; they ripen from late spring (in Florida) through summer (in Arkansas and Virginia). Chromosome count 2n=24. ==Distribution and habitat==

It is native to the southeastern and south-central United States, from southeastern Virginia south to Florida, and west to Arkansas and Texas. V. elliottii has been observed in habitat types such as mixed hardwood forests, swampy woodlands, floodplains, and longleaf pine ridges. ==Uses==

Vaccinium elliottii produces a particularly large yield of somewhat sour berries. It is popular for late-season fruit. ==See also==