Kinds of Blueberries

Lowbush Blueberries

• Lowbush or "wild" blueberries refers to the smaller, low-lying type of blueberry plants. Typically these plants reach a height of 4 feet or less. The common lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium, is found in Eastern North America, ranging from the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Labrador to Virginia. Other lowbush varieties include Vaccinium myrtilloides, or the Canadian blueberry, and Vaccinium virgatum, or the Rabbiteye blueberry.

Highbush Blueberries

• Highbush blueberries are the most common commercially grown blueberries. These plants may reach a height of up to 12 feet. Common highbush varieties include Vaccinium boreale, or the Northern blueberry, which is found in Quebec, New York and New England. Other varieties include Vaccinium darrowii, or the Southern highbush blueberry, found in the Southeastern United States.

"False" blueberries

• Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) are members of the genus Vaccinium, which are found in temperate and even subarctic regions of the world. The bilberry fruit is smaller and darker than a blueberry, and the inside is red instead of light green. The huckleberry is mainly found in Western North America and is the state fruit of Idaho. Both bilberries and huckleberries are commonly mistaken for true blueberries. For instance, jam made with bilberries is often marketed as blueberry jam. Also, several languages do not make a distinction between blueberries and bilberries --- the French name "myrtille" can refer to either plant.

Cultivation and Breeding

• Blueberries can be cultivated or picked from semi-wild bushes. Typically, low bush ("wild") varieties are picked from a semi-wild state, whereas high bush varieties are fully cultivated. There are numerous cultivars of blueberries being grown and harvested by farmers in the United States. The most important blueberry breeding program has been the USDA-ARS project based in Maryland and New Jersey. Besides the harvesting of the fruit itself, blueberry shrubs are important to other agricultural endeavors, such as bee-keeping, as the blueberry flowers provide a source of nectar for the bees.