Black Huckleberry and Blueberries

One of my goals is to see all of the species within the heath (Ericaceae) family that are native to MN. This family is pretty diverse, with about 4,000 some odd species, making it the 14th most species-rich plant family. In MN, the numbers are a little bit more manageable with 28 species. This family is often found in nutrient poor habitats: fens, bogs, boreal forests, rock outcroppings, dry forests.... As such many of them have very specialized adaptations that allow them to survive these conditions. Not every member has these but some common adaptations include: leathery leaves, pubescence, and evergreen or semi-evergreen leaves. Almost all heath family plants have very strong mycorrhizal associations with fungi in the soil. In fact there is a special group called the ericoid mycorrhiza that form relationships with these plants. This is a key component of these plants' versatility, allowing them to uptake nitrogen in nutrient poor environments. The relationships with these fungal associates vary widely. The Arbutoideae subfamily is unique in that they do not for ericoid mycorrhizal associations, but rather their own type called arbutoid mycorrhiza which resembles typical ectomycorrhiza. Of the ericoid mycorrhiza, the Vaccinioideae and Ericoideae subfamilies generally have the the least reliance on their fungal partners. The Pyroloideae subfamily are typically mixotrophes (an intermediate between autotrophy and heterotrophy), relying more heavily on the fungi. The Monotropoideae are mycoheterotrophs and have lost the ability to photosynthesize and rely completely on their fungal partners for sustenance. There are a lot of fascinating things related to the natural history of these plants and they also just look really cool. The heaths are my favorite plant family and that's saying a lot. 

Right now I'm siting at 21 species found in MN. I made a huge leap forward after today's exploration, but I still have a lot of work to do. There are a few species that are pretty common and I just haven't gone looking in the right habitat. Some of them will be pretty tough, there are a handful of state listed species in this family. There are a few that will be extremely hard, if not impossible; both crowberry species (Empetrum atropurpureum and E. nigrum) are listed as endangered and only known from the Susie Islands. E. nigrum is potentially extricated. So, I might have to cheat and try and find a few of these species further north in Canada.

The big find of today was black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), which is a state threatened species. This species is quite common east of MN, occurring in almost every county of WI, MI, and the New England States. Here, it is at the very western edge of its range, with populations in only a handful of the most eastern counties. This plant was always rare in the state, but with deforestation and fire suppression it has become even less abundant. Huckleberry forms quite large rhizomatous colonies, so it responds very well to a regular fire regime that allows it to regenerate and prevent competition with shade-tolerant species. This population along the Kettle River seemed quite healthy. It was the dominate shrub layer species in the forest with an overstory of red pine, white pine, and red oak. The ground cover was mostly wintergreen. It was quite the view with all the huckleberries in perfect fall colors overlooking some sandstone cliffs along the river. 

Overlooking the Kettle River

From another vantage point

Black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata)

Huckleberry underneath the pines

Range of black huckleberry

A lot of the blueberry family looks quite similar. Huckleberry could easily be mistaken for either of the blueberry species at a glance, but looking closely you will realize that they are quite different. Perhaps the easiest distinguishing trait is that huckleberry is much larger, about head high at maturity, compared to blueberries which usually max out around knee high. Then there are the more subtle differences: huckleberry has more obovate leaves, yellow resinous dots on the upper and lower leaf, and with hard nutlets in the fruit; the blueberries have more elliptical leaves, no resin, and seeds in the fruit. All three of these species were growing intermixed in these woods and could be easily mistaken for the same species by the untrained eye. 

Resin on upper leaf of huckleberry

Resin on lower leaf of huckleberry

Lowbush blueberry has smooth stems

Velvetleaf blueberry has hairy stems

That's it for today's adventure. Below is a tally of all the Ericaceous plants I've seen in MN.

Arbutoideae "Madrones and manzanitas" 

Trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens)

Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Ericoideae "Heaths" - still need to see Empetrum atropurpureum and E. nigrum

Swamp laurel (Kalmia polifolia)

Bog labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum)

Monotropoideae "Ghost pipes" - still need to see Hypopitys monotropa

Ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora)

Pyroloideae "Wintergreens" - still need to see Pyrola americana and P. minor

Pipsisswa (Chimaphila umbellata)

One-flowered wintergreen (Moneses uniflora)

One-sided wintergreen (Orthilia secunda)

Bog wintergreen (Pyrola asarifolia) 

Green-flowered wintergreen (Pyrola chlorantha)

Shinleaf (Pyrola elliptica)

Vaccinioideae "Typical blueberries" - still need to see Vaccinium macrocarpon and V. uliginosum

Bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia)

Leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata)

Creeping snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula)

Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)

Black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata)

Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)

Dwarf bilberry (Vaccinium caespitosum)

Velvet-leaf blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides)

Small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos)

Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea












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