big huckleberry Ericaceae Vaccinium membranaceum Douglas ex Torr. symbol: VAME Leaf: Alternate, simple, deciduous, elliptical, ovate, or obovate, 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long, margins finely toothed; pale green and slightly glaucous above and paler 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 mid-spring. Fruit: Small (1/4 to 1/2 inch diameter) purple to black berries, almost without bloom; ripen in late summer, delicious. Twig: Young branches are yellow-green and somewhat angled; older branches have gray, shedding bark. Bark: Gray and shreddy. Form: An upright, densely branched deciduous shrub commonly growing 3 to 6 feet tall. Looks like: ovalleaf huckleberry - evergreen huckleberry - red huckleberry - false azalea Additional Range Information: Vaccinium membranaceum is native to North America. It is not widely planted. See states reporting big huckleberry. External Links: USDAFS Additional Silvics USDA Plants Database