Virginia Tech Dendrology

velvet-leaf blueberry Ericaceae Vaccinium myrtilloides Michx. symbol: VAMY
Leaf: Alternate, simple, deciduous, elliptical, ovate, or obovate, to 2 inches long base is wedge-shaped; margins finely toothed (often only on upper 2/3 of blade); green above, paler and pubescent below, red to purple in the fall.
Flower: Perfect, small (1/4 inch long); solitary; nodding; pinkish; corolla fused and nearly round; borne singly in leaf axils; appear in late spring.
Fruit: Small (1/4 to 1/2 inch diameter) blue berries, with waxy bloom; ripen in late summer, delicious.
Twig: Red-brown to green-brown or gray-brown, densely hairy.
Bark: Smooth, green to green-red, usually remains green to the ground.
Form: A low shrub to 1 1/2 feet tall; may form dense thickets.
Looks like: big huckleberry - bilberry - ovalleaf huckleberry - Cascade bilberry

Additional Range Information: Vaccinium myrtilloides 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