Elliott's Blueberry Vaccinium elliottii

Elliott's Blueberry is an edible deciduous shrub in the heath family found in the coastal plains of North Carolina and along riverbanks, thickets, and bottom land forests.   Plant in the full sun to partial shade in acidic soils.  Avoid soils where lime is present.  Lime in the soil will cause the leaves to become chlorotic, not producing sufficient chlorophyll, leading to yellowing of the leaves.

It can be grown in full sun or light shade, however, full sun will lead to more fruiting.  Provide shelter from strong winds.

This plant can be started in a container.  It does not like having its roots disturbed, so starting in a container before placing in it forever home will lead to less stress on the plant.  If starting from seed, placing in a container in a greenhouse or other such location and providing shade will lead to success.  Let the seedlings spend their first winter under these conditions then plant outdoors in late spring or early summer.

It can be easily confused with other rabbiteye blueberries, but it differs in the fact that it has smaller leaves with a length of only 1" long and numerous slender round hairy stems.  To make harvesting the fruit easier, prune after the fruit ripens so plants do not become too tall the following year.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  Chlorosis can occur in lime soils. Birds will eat the fruit, limiting collection for human consumption.  Occasional diseases affecting this plant include stem blight, root rot, cane cankers, mildew and botrytis.  The fruits can be affected by the blueberry maggot, cherry fruit worm and the spotted wing drosophila.  

VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Edibles, Bulbs, and Houseplants" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.   

More information on Vaccinium.