Cousin of the blueberry, similar in form and habit but the berries are much darker and shinier—almost black—and don’t have the same dusty bloom. The flavor is less acidic and more mildly sweet with the slightest crunch from tiny seeds. Use them like blueberries.

Flowers in June and fruits in August. We’ve found many quiet little shrubs tucked in along pond edges and upland woods among the sheep laurel and the lowbush blueberries of Maine. Nectar of the pink bell-shaped blossoms helps sustain the endangered adult Karner Blue butterfly and native bumblebees.

Brilliant purple-red fall foliage. Prefers sandy acidic well-drained soil but adaptable and drought tolerant once established. Full sun to part shade but fruits best in sun. Forms colonies but does so very slowly. Native to eastern U.S. and Canada. Z3/4. (gallon pot, 15–20")