Virginia Tech Dendrology

ovalleaf huckleberry Ericaceae Vaccinium ovalifolium Sm. symbol: VAOV
Leaf: Alternate, simple, deciduous, oval and blunt-rounded at both ends, 1 to 2 inches long, margins usually lacking teeth; green above, and paler beneath.
Flower: Perfect, small (1/3 inch), pinkish, globular, urn-shaped to egg-shaped "bells" usually longer than broad; appear singly from axils of leaves before or sometimes with the leaves.
Fruit: Blue-black, round berries with bluish bloom, 1/4 to 1/3 inch across, edible and ripen in late summer.
Twig: Slender, brown or often reddish to yellowish, angled and grooved, appearing almost winged; older branches are gray.
Bark: Reddish brown but turns gray and exfoliates as it ages.
Form: Erect, slender, spreading shrub to 6 feet tall.
Looks like: big huckleberry - velvet-leaf blueberry - Cascade bilberry - dwarf bilberry

Additional Range Information: Vaccinium ovalifolium 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 2021 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