47.214.193.24: Wikifruit: independently reviewed article maintenance

2026-10-02T01:20:11Z

Wikifruit: independently reviewed article maintenance

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{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; width: 320px; margin-left: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 1em;"
! colspan="2" style="background: #e8e8e8;" | Bog bilberry (''Vaccinium uliginosum'')
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Vaccinium uliginosum fruit.jpg|300px|Fruit cluster of bog bilberry]]
|-
! Common name
| Bog bilberry, bog blueberry, alpine blueberry
|-
! Scientific name
| ''Vaccinium uliginosum''
|-
! Genus
| [[Vaccinium]]
|-
! Family
| [[Ericaceae]]
|-
! Order
| [[Ericales]]
|-
! Native range
| Subarctic and temperate Northern Hemisphere, circumboreal from Alaska, Greenland and northern Europe through Siberia to Japan with scattered southern stations
|-
! Habit
| Low, much-branched deciduous shrub, usually 20–40 cm tall, up to about 0.8 m on favourable sites
|-
! Soil
| Moist to wet, acidic, lime-free soil; plants become chlorotic where lime is present
|-
! Flowering
| June to early July in the northern part of its range
|-
! Harvest
| Late July to September in the northern part of its range
|-
! Years to fruit
| About 6 years from seed; rooted cuttings fruit 1–2 years sooner (interior Alaska trial)
|}
'''Bog bilberry''' (''Vaccinium uliginosum''), also called bog blueberry or alpine blueberry, is a low, deciduous heath-family shrub with a circumboreal native range across the subarctic and temperate Northern Hemisphere[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]: Alaska, Canada, Greenland, most of northern and montane Europe, Siberia, the Russian Far East, Japan, and scattered stations in the northern United States and Turkey[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]. It flowers in early summer and ripens blue-black berries from late summer into autumn in the northern part of its range[[#cite_note-3|[3]]].

== Description ==
Bog bilberry is a low, much-branched deciduous shrub, prostrate to erect, usually 8–16 in (20–40 cm) tall, with oval, leathery leaves and white to pink flowers borne singly or in small clusters at the ends of the stems[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]. The fruit is a blue to black berry roughly 6 mm across[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]; on favourable sites plants can approach 0.8 m (about 2 ft 7 in)[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]. Plants form dense mats or open colonies, and roots run through the surface organic layer with rhizomes within the top 15–20 cm; mycorrhizal associations measurably raise plant nitrogen levels[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]. The species regenerates vegetatively by layering and by sprouting from rhizomes[[#cite_note-3|[3]]], although an interior Alaska trial report describes the wild bushes there as propagating mainly by seed and layering rather than spreading by underground rhizomes[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]. The two accounts have not been reconciled, and the difference may reflect regional populations.

== Cultivation ==
Bog bilberry is a plant of subarctic and subalpine habitats[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]: bogs, wet heaths, tundra and open mountainsides, usually over acidic, peaty ground[[#cite_note-4|[4]]][[#cite_note-3|[3]]]. Its natural rhythm is a short cool summer and a long snowy winter, and cultivation succeeds best where that pattern can be matched.

=== Soil and water ===
The species wants moist to wet, acidic, lime-free soil, roughly pH 4.5–6, and grows well in a bog garden; plants become chlorotic when lime is present[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]. A lime-rich situation also undermined an interior Alaska trial: rooted cuttings in an acidic potting mix died once irrigation water with too much lime overpowered the soil, while root divisions in the same acidic mix and water thrived[[#cite_note-5|[5]]].

=== Sun and humidity ===
Bog bilberry succeeds in full sun or light shade but fruits better in a sunny position, and benefits from shelter against strong winds[[#cite_note-4|[4]]].

=== Seasonal changes ===
In the northern part of its range flowering runs June to early July and the fruit ripens late July through September[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]. The plants are extremely cold-tolerant and normally overwinter under snow; in interior Alaska, where the domestic highbush blueberry does not survive the winters, bog bilberry is native across millions of acres[[#cite_note-5|[5]]].

== Propagation ==
Bog bilberry is the most harvested wild berry in Alaska, and its propagation has been studied there in more detail than anywhere else[[#cite_note-6|[6]]].

=== Seed ===
Bog bilberry seed germinates best fresh. In the Alaskan study, seed extracted from frozen berries and sown immediately germinated at 71 ± 10%, whereas air-dried seed declined steadily with drying and never exceeded about 35%; cold stratification for 30–120 days at 4 °C improved air-dried seed from 9.5 ± 1.9% to 28.5–36.0%, still below seed from frozen berries[[#cite_note-7|[7]]]. A Forest Service synthesis likewise reports shallow dormancy, with a 30-day cold treatment at 2 °C raising germination and very little germination below about 15 °C[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]. Seedlings are fragile; in the interior Alaska trial they were easily killed and took about six years to produce their first berries[[#cite_note-5|[5]]].

=== Cuttings ===
Softwood and semi-hardwood cuttings from new growth rooted about 50–65% under mist with 25 °C bottom heat and 0.3% IBA powder across nearly the whole summer (20 June–August), with no clearly best collection date[[#cite_note-6|[6]]]. Rooting varied widely by plant and wild location, from 0 to 100% and averaging about 51 ± 24% across individuals[[#cite_note-7|[7]]]. The same Alaska project found only about 21% of 1,500 cuttings well rooted under its own difficult conditions (a malfunctioning heating mat and lime-rich water), a reminder that outcomes depend strongly on facilities[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]. A Forest Service synthesis reports stem cuttings rooting poorly and about 52% of rhizome cuttings producing shoots when planted immediately[[#cite_note-3|[3]]].

=== Division and layering ===
Root divisions of established plants made 10–80 plants per parent in the Alaska trial, thrived in the same acidic soil, and some produced a few berries the first summer after division[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]. General ''Vaccinium'' practice adds layering (about 18 months) and division of suckers as slower alternatives, with seed sown in a lime-free mix and stored seed sometimes needing several months of cold stratification[[#cite_note-4|[4]]].

[[File:Blüte der Rauschbeere.jpg|280px|Flowers of bog bilberry (Rauschbeere) in a German moor]]

== Flowering, fruiting, and harvest ==
Flowers are hermaphrodite and insect-pollinated[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]. Pollination of the Alaska bog blueberry has been studied at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, with work to identify the insects involved in berry production[[#cite_note-8|[8]]]. The species is tetraploid (2n = 48; a hexaploid race occurs in Japan) and is a valued breeding parent: in reciprocal crosses with highbush blueberry, viable seed is far easier with bog bilberry as the seed parent, partly because the species produces a high proportion of defective pollen, so breeders use it as the maternal plant[[#cite_note-9|[9]]]. In Siberian breeding work a tetraploid bog blueberry set fruit at 70.6% when crossed with tetraploid highbush and at 50.0% with a half-high selection[[#cite_note-9|[9]]]. Berries ripen progressively from late July to September in the north and are gathered in large quantities for fresh eating and preserving[[#cite_note-3|[3]]].

[[File:Bog Bilberries in Autumn (3984689664).jpg|280px|Bog bilberry with fruit in autumn, Iceland]]

== Fruit and uses ==
The blue-black berries, about 6 mm across, are edible and have long been gathered in large quantities for jams, jellies and pies; fresh or dried leaves are used for tea[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]. Bog bilberry is the most harvested wild berry in Alaska, a traditional indigenous food, sold at farmers markets and into small jam and jelly businesses; the berries stay high in antioxidants even when frozen or processed into juices and fruit leather[[#cite_note-6|[6]]]. Antioxidant measurements on Alaska wild berries found nearly all frozen wild berries scored above 20 on the ORAC scale (cultivated blueberries scored about 20, and scores above 40 are considered very high); most processing methods reduced antioxidant levels, but drying fruit and making fruit leather concentrated the skin and pulp and significantly increased antioxidant content per gram[[#cite_note-10|[10]]]. Flavour reports from individual harvesters vary: a Finland forager (2024) found the bog bilberry bland next to the common bilberry (''Vaccinium myrtillus''), and noted the fruit is larger and does not stain the fingers; other Finnish pickers report good jam, juice and berry soup, a slightly firmer skin that keeps berries whole in a bucket, and that drying may improve the taste[[#cite_note-11|[11]]]. A home canner described a bog bilberry jam as delicious[[#cite_note-12|[12]]]. These are individual reports, not universal ratings.

== Cultivars and selections ==
No named cultivar has yet been developed for Alaska domestic production[[#cite_note-5|[5]]], but bog bilberry ancestry has produced documented selections elsewhere.

'''Aron (Finland).''' 'Aron' was released for general cultivation in Finland in spring 1982 from the back-cross 'Rancocas' × (bog bilberry × 'Rancocas')[[#cite_note-13|[13]]]. It is winter hardier than 'Rancocas' but not as good a cropper, and was recommended primarily for home gardening; in the exceptionally hard winter of 1986–87 at Piikkiö (January minimum −34 °C with thin snow) its shoots were only slightly injured but most flower buds were destroyed[[#cite_note-13|[13]]]. Berry size is comparable with 'Rancocas', and recorded productivities (1970–74) were about 497 g per bush for 'Aron' versus 842 g for 'Rancocas' and 92 g for wild bog blueberry[[#cite_note-14|[14]]]. Total aroma compounds were clearly lower in bog blueberry than in highbush and hybrids, while the crosses inherited the higher sugar content and aroma of highbush[[#cite_note-14|[14]]]. In a northern Spain phenology trial, 'Aron' had a high chilling requirement, was the last cultivar to start flowering (118 days from 1 January) and had a mid harvest season[[#cite_note-15|[15]]].

'''Russian selections.''' Four named selections held at the Central Siberian Botanical Garden (Novosibirsk) — 'Golubaya rossyp', 'Nektarnaya', 'Shegarskaya' and 'Iksinskaya' — differ strongly in micropropagation rooting: 'Golubaya rossyp' rooted at 100% in all treatments and formed the most roots per shoot, while 10 µM IBA in the medium completely inhibited root-system development in the other three; a three-day dark preculture improved rooting 1.5–2.3 times in 'Shegarskaya' and 'Iksinskaya'[[#cite_note-16|[16]]]. These results describe micropropagation behaviour in one laboratory rather than field performance.

'''Hybrid propagation.''' In the Siberian breeding program, hybrid seed germinated in vitro at 42–88% depending on the cross, versus 80% when sown in soil substrate with no more than 2% seedling survival; hybrid microshoots rooted at 100% on growth-regulator-free medium, and 87–90% of plants acclimatized in ''Sphagnum'' moss[[#cite_note-9|[9]]]. These figures come from a single crossing program (maternal form no. 8) and are not species-wide values.

== Photos ==
[[File:Blokkebær.jpg|300px|Bog bilberry plant, Norway]]
[[File:Blueberries collected in Zakamensky district of Buryatia, Russia.jpg|300px|Harvested bog bilberries, Buryatia, Russia]]

== References ==
* [[#cite_ref-1|↑]] '''[1]''' [http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30184367-2 Vaccinium uliginosum — Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew].

* [[#cite_ref-2|↑]] '''[2]''' [https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=41063 Vaccinium uliginosum — USDA ARS GRIN-Global taxon detail].

* [[#cite_ref-3|↑]] '''[3]''' [https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/vaculi/all.html Vaccinium uliginosum — Fire Effects Information System, USDA Forest Service (Matthews 1992)].

* [[#cite_ref-4|↑]] '''[4]''' [https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Vaccinium_uliginosum Vaccinium uliginosum — Plants For A Future database].

* [[#cite_ref-5|↑]] '''[5]''' [https://projects.sare.org/sare_project/fw13-149?ar=2015 Selection and Propagation of Bog Blueberry Plants for Alaskan Food Security — SARE project FW13-149, 2015 annual report].

* [[#cite_ref-6|↑]] '''[6]''' [https://rngr.net/publications/fnn/2011-winter/new-nursery-literature/propagation-of-northern-bog-blueberry-vaccinium/at_download/file Holloway, P.S., Kokx, K.M., Auer, J., Pearce, S. 2010. Propagation of northern bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) by seeds and stem cuttings. IPPS Combined Proceedings 59: 475–478 (excerpt via RNGR)].

* [[#cite_ref-7|↑]] '''[7]''' [https://ashs.confex.com/ashs/2009/webprogram/Paper1702.html Propagation of Alaska Bog Blueberry, Vaccinium uliginosum — 2009 ASHS Annual Conference, Paper 1702 (abstract)].

* [[#cite_ref-8|↑]] '''[8]''' [https://www.uaf.edu/afes/places/gbg/research/files/pdfs/2012.Holloway-HATCH.pdf Holloway, P.S. 2012. Horticultural Crop Production for Alaska — HATCH report, University of Alaska Fairbanks].

* [[#cite_ref-9|↑]] '''[9]''' [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8465175 Applying Biotechnology in the Propagation and Further Selection of Vaccinium uliginosum × (Vaccinium corymbosum × Vaccinium angustifolium) Hybrids — Plants (MDPI), 2021, PMC8465175].

* [[#cite_ref-10|↑]] '''[10]''' [https://www.uaf.edu/afes/places/gbg/research/files/pdfs/2006.-Holloway-Dinstel-Leiner.Note-35.pdf Holloway, P.S., Dinstel, R., Leiner, R. 2006. Antioxidants in Alaska Wild Berries — UAF Georgeson Botanical Note No. 35].

* [[#cite_ref-11|↑]] '''[11]''' [https://www.reddit.com/r/Berries/comments/1edn0fy/two_very_different_bilberries_finland/ Two very different Bilberries (Finland) — r/Berries, u/NatassjaNightstar, 23 July 2024, Central Finland].

* [[#cite_ref-12|↑]] '''[12]''' [https://www.reddit.com/r/Canning/comments/4xup1q/european_canning_i_made_bog_bilberry_jam_for_the/ I made bog bilberry jam for the first time, and it was delicious! — r/Canning, u/Palaluuseri, 2016].

* [[#cite_ref-13|↑]] '''[13]''' [https://doi.org/10.17660/actahortic.1989.241.35 Hiirsalmi, H.M., Hietaranta, T.P. 1989. Winter injuries to highbush and lowbush blueberries in Finland. Acta Horticulturae 241].

* [[#cite_ref-14|↑]] '''[14]''' [https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01057724 The aroma of some hybrids between high-bush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) and bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum). Springer (DOI 10.1007/BF01057724)].

* [[#cite_ref-15|↑]] '''[15]''' [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206361 Genetic diversity assessed by genotyping by sequencing (GBS) and for phenological traits in blueberry cultivars — PLOS ONE, DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0206361].

* [[#cite_ref-16|↑]] '''[16]''' [https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-berry-research/jbr170253 Erst, A.A., Gorbunov, A.B., Erst, A.S. 2018. Effect of concentration, method of auxin application and cultivation conditions on in vitro rooting of bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum L.). Journal of Berry Research 8(1): 41–53].

== Image credits ==
* '''Vaccinium uliginosum fruit.jpg''' — fruit cluster, Vall Farrera, Pyrenees, Spain; David Gaya, [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 CC BY-SA 2.5]; [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vaccinium_uliginosum_fruit.jpg file page].
* '''Blüte der Rauschbeere.jpg''' — flowers in the Grundloses Moor nature reserve, Walsrode, Lower Saxony, Germany; Maren79, [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 CC BY-SA 4.0]; [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blüte_der_Rauschbeere.jpg file page].
* '''Bog Bilberries in Autumn (3984689664).jpg''' — fruiting plant in autumn, Iceland; Axel Kristinsson, [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 CC BY 2.0]; [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bog_Bilberries_in_Autumn_(3984689664).jpg file page].
* '''Blueberries collected in Zakamensky district of Buryatia, Russia.jpg''' — harvested berries, Buryatia, Russia, 2018; Bgelo777, [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 CC BY-SA 4.0]; [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blueberries_collected_in_Zakamensky_district_of_Buryatia,_Russia.jpg file page].
* '''Blokkebær.jpg''' — whole plant, Norway, 2010; Ole Husby, [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 CC BY-SA 2.0]; [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blokkebær.jpg file page].

Vaccinium uliginosum - Revision history

47.214.193.24: Wikifruit: independently reviewed article maintenance