Virginia Tech Dendrology

grouse whortleberry Ericaceae Vaccinium scoparium Leiberg ex Coville symbol: VASC
Leaf: Alternate, simple, elliptical to ovate, 1/2 inch long, margins slightly serrate, green above and paler beneath.
Flower: Small (1/4 inch), solitary, pink, bell-shaped.
Fruit: Very small (1/4 inch), red berries, edible.
Twig: Slender, zigzag and angled, green to red; buds small and pointed.
Bark: Gray-brown to reddish brown, smooth.
Form: Low growing, highly branched (may resemble a broom) deciduous shrub usually under 18” tall; usually erect, but sometimes matted.
Looks like: red huckleberry - bilberry

Additional Range Information: Vaccinium scoparium is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information