There are in the mountain regions many species of Vac-
cinium that bear edible berries, but the Oval-leaved Blueberry
and the Black Blueberry are the most conspicuous in fruit,
the former having blue berries covered with a rich soft bloom
and possessing an acid though not unpalatable flavour, and
the latter having purplish-black berries that are quite sweet
and pleasant to the taste.
The Oval-leaved Blueberry is a branching shrub, growing
from three to ten feet high, and has smooth twigs that are
sharply angled at the joints. The leaves are oval, green
above and covered with a whitish bloom beneath. The
small pink and white flowers are formed like tiny toothed
bells, and grow singly at the ends of the slender recurved
stalks, which causes them to droop downwards. The ber-
ries also are pendent.
Vaccinium membranaceum, or Black Blueberry, is not so
tall as the preceding species, seldom attaining a height of
six feet. The leaves are larger than those of the Oval-
leaved Blueberry, and are green on both sides and finely
edged with very tiny teeth. The flowers are globular, and
from their rounded corollas the long style protrudes. The



236 Pink to Red Flowers

recurved axillary' stalks, which bear the blossoms, become
upright in fruit and thus hold erect the large, sweet, purple-
black berries, which have no bloom.
Vaccinium ccrspitosum, or Dwarf Bilberry, grows only
from three to seven inches high, and has many little fine
branches thickly covered with leaves, which are obovate,
blunt, thickly serrulate and bright green on both sides.
