Vaccinium myrtillus - Blåbär

Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium oreophilum, SE: Blåbär,
DE: Blaubeere, NL: Blauwe bosbes, UK: Bilberry, Whortleberry


Scientific name:		Vaccinium myrtillus L.
Synonym name:		Vaccinium oreophilum Rydb.
Swedish name:		Blåbär
German name:		Blaubeere
Nederlandse naam:		Blauwe bosbes
English name:		Bilberry, Whortleberry
Family:		Ericaceae, Heath family, Ljungväxter

Vilda blommor i Sverige, Sweden Flora, Jamtland, Ragunda, Hammarstrand, Flowers

_{Date Picture Taken: July 20, 2008}


Life form:		Perennial dwarf shrub; rhizomatous
Stems:		Height 10–40 cm, erect, abundantly branched, woody, old stems round, brown, young stems bristly, green, glabrous
Leaves:		alternate, entire, elliptical
Flowers:		Bell-shaped reddish or pink flowers
Flowering Period:		May, June
Fruits:		Spherical, dark blue and wax-covered or black and shiny, occasionally off-white, inside dark red, juicy berry
Habitat:		Forests, thickets, heath

Vaccinium myrtillus, SE: Blåbär, DE: Blaubeere, NL: Blauwe bosbes, UK:Bilberry

_{Date Picture Taken: July 23, 2008}

Derivation of the botanical name:
Vaccinium, from an old name used in the works of
Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro, 70-19 BCE) and Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus, 23-79 CE).
myrtillus refers to the resemblance of the leaves to those of myrtle.

The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
The standard author abbreviation Rydb. is used to indicate Per Axel Rydberg (1860 – 1931), a Swedish-born, American botanist, the first curator of the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium.

_{Date Picture Taken: July 23, 2008}