Vaccinium arboreum

Taxobox
name = "Vaccinium arboreum"

---

image_width = 240px
image_caption = Leaves and immature fruit
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Ericales
familia = Ericaceae
genus = "Vaccinium"
species = "V. arboreum"
binomial = "Vaccinium arboreum"
binomial_authority = Marshall

"Vaccinium arboreum" (Sparkleberry or Farkleberry) is a species of "Vaccinium" native to the southeastern United States, from southern Virginia west to southeastern Missouri, and south to Florida and eastern Texas.

It is a shrub (rarely a small tree) growing to 3-5 m (rarely 9 m) tall. The leaves are evergreen in the south of the range, but deciduous further north where winters are colder; they are oval-elliptic with an acute apex, 3-7 cm long and 2-4 cm broad, with a smooth or very finely toothed margin. The flowers are white, bell-shaped, 3-4 mm diameter, with a five-lobed corolla, produced in racemes up to 5 cm long. The fruit is a round dry berry about 6 mm diameter, green at first, black when ripe, edible but bitter and tough.

References

* [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?40984 Germplasm Resources Information Network: "Vaccinium arboreum"]
* [http://www.missouriplants.com/Whitealt/Vaccineum_arboreum_page.html Missouriplants: "Vaccinium arboreum"]
* [http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=265 Virginia Tech Dendrology: "Vaccinium arboreum"]