Gaylussacia brachycera
| Gaylussacia brachycera | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Gaylussacia brachycera (common name: box huckleberry)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame[1]. Stored seed requires 1 month warm stratification followed by 2 months cold[2]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots of lime-free compost and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer when they are at least 15cm tall.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[1].
Layering.
Division in spring.
Cultivation: Requires a lime-free moist peaty soil, thriving in sun or part shade[3][1]. Prefers a position in partial or full shade[4].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[1].
This species rarely sets viable seed[1].
There is a colony in New Jersey that covers 3.8 hectares of land, it is estimated to be 10,000 years old and to have originated vegetatively from one single mother plant[1].
Range: Eastern N. America - Delaware and Pennsylvania to Virginia.
Habitat: On slopes and in dry sandy woods[5] on dry acidic sandy soils[1].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[6][7]. Not highly regarded[8]. Tasteless[9][1]. The fruit is about 12mm in diameter[1].
Usage: A good ground cover plant[1]. Spreading quite freely, it should be spaced about 30cm apart each way[4].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Vaccinium brachycerum. V. buxifolium.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.