Plant Data
Sheet
Species
(common name, Latin name)
Red huckleberry, Vaccinium parvifolium
Range
Climate,
elevation
Low elevations.
Local
occurrence (where, how common)
Coniferous forest, often at forest edges or under canopy openings.
Habitat
preferences
Red huckleberry occurs in mixed evergreen forests, particularly abundant in wet or dry, coastal western hemlock or western hemlock-Sitka spruce forests.
Plant
strategy type/successional stage (stress-tolerator, competitor,
weedy/colonizer, seral, late successional)
Associated
species
Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, and Salal.
May
be collected as: (seed, layered, divisions, etc.)
Seeds and cuttings.
Collection
restrictions or guidelines
Seeds can be picked in July – August when fruit is ripe.
Seed
germination (needs dormancy breaking?)
To germinate stored seeds, alternate warm and light conditions (28ºC for 14 hrs/day) with cool and dark conditions (13 for 10 hrs/day).
Seed
life (can be stored, short shelf-life, long shelf-life)
Seeds can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 12 years.
Recommended
seed storage conditions
Dry seeds at 15-21ºC for 2 days
Propagation
recommendations (plant seeds, vegetative parts, cuttings, etc.)
Seed, container, bare root, cuttings.
Soil
or medium requirements (inoculum necessary?)
Adapted to coarse and medium textured soils, low moisture use.
Installation
form (form, potential for successful outcomes, cost)
Seeds, container, cuttings, or bare root.
Recommended
planting density
1800 to 11000 plants per acre.
Care
requirements after installed (water weekly, water once etc.)
Water moderately for first year, prefers partial sun.
Normal
rate of growth or spread; lifespan
Slow growing, erect shrub to 4 meters tall, moderate lifespan.
Sources
cited
Pojar, J. and A. MacKinnon. 1994. Plants
of the
Pine Publishing,
The Plants Database. http://plantsdatabase.com
Propagation by Seed. http://www.volws.bc.ca/resources/Plants/Plant_index/Seed_Propagation.htm
Doug Schmitt