Deerberry Blooms Light up the Wood’s Edge

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This rainy year produced some spectacular flower displays. One that we see in the forest is called Deerberry, Vaccinium stamineum. It’s a member of the Heath Family, Ericaceae, as are the blueberries and huckleberries, and it’s also native to the eastern United States.

Small deerberry shrubs at the edge of the woods are 2-3 feet tall.
Small deerberry shrubs at the edge of the woods are 2-3 feet tall. Photo taken 13 May 2011.

The foliage looks a lot like that of the lowbush blueberry, but the flowers are distinct. Each bell-shaped flower is white to pinkish-white with many stamens that protrude beyond the edge of the short bell. The five lobes at the edge of the bell do not flare outward as the blossoms of the blueberries do.

The flowers are arranged in loose clusters where each blossom dangles just below a small leaf on the main stem. This ‘leafy-bracted raceme’ is a character worth noting to identify deerberry.

Three leafy bracted racemes are present in this closeup of deerberry flowers with their long stamens.
Three leafy bracted racemes are present in this closeup of deerberry flowers with their long stamens. Photo taken 13 May 2011.
By holding up a branch of the deerberry, you can see how the flowers dangle below their stem.
By holding up a branch of the deerberry, you can see how the flowers dangle below their stem. Photo taken 13 May 2011.
Mass blooming of deerberry. Note how the flowers are tucked behind the new growth of light green leaves.
Mass blooming of deerberry. Note how the flowers are tucked behind the new growth of light green leaves. Photo taken on 23 May 2011.

(Click on any of the photos to see larger images.)

Deerberry blooming at the edge of the woods.
Deerberry blooming at the edge of the woods on 23 May 2011.

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