Vaccinium arboreum (sparkleberry or farkleberry) is a species of Vaccinium native to the southeastern and south-central United States.
Description Vaccinium arboreum is a shrub (rarely a small tree) growing to , rarely tall, with a diameter at breast height of up to . 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, long and 2–4 cm broad, with a smooth or very finely toothed margin.
The flowers are white, bell-shaped, and in diameter with a five-lobed corolla, produced in racemes up to long. The fruit is a round dry berry about in diameter, green at first, black when ripe, bitter and tough.Flora of North America, Vaccinium arboreum Marshall, 1785. Farkleberry Cytology is 2n = 24.
Distribution and habitat Sparkleberry could be found in the United States from southern Virginia west to southeastern Nebraska, south to Florida and eastern Texas, and north to Illinois.USDA; Native Distribution - V. arboreum . accessed 11.10.2010Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map It grows in sandy and rocky habitats, including dry woods. It also grows on a variety of moist sites such as wet bottomlands and along creek banks.
Ecology The berries are eaten by various wildlife.
Uses Because of its relative hardiness in comparison to other Vaccinium species, V. arboreum has been investigated as a potential rootstock for expanding the range of blueberry cultivation to less acidic soils (pH>6.0) and reducing the severity of bacterial leaf scorch.
References
External links
Missouri Plants: Vaccinium arboreum Virginia Tech Dendrology: Vaccinium arboreum United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile of Vaccinium arboreum