North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Gaylussacia baccata

Gaylussacia baccata (Wangenh.) K. Koch

black huckleberry, crackleberry

Synonym(s): Decachaena baccata

Image ID: 14630
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: GABA
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Gaylussacia baccata
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-02-25

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: GAYLU
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Gaylussacia
GENUS AUTHORITY: Kunth
GENUS COMMON: Huckleberry
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of ca. 50 species, shrubs, of North and South America (centered in South America). The sections and subsections follow Sleumer (1967a). A study of the phylogeny of the genus Gaylussacia provided some evidence for the treatment of Gaylussacia brachycera as a monotypic genus or within Vaccinium; additional study is needed.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Sorrie, Weakley, & Tucker in FNA (2009); Sleumer (1967a)=Z; Camp (1935)=Y; Godfrey (1988)=X; Duncan & Brittain (1966)=V; Sorrie & Weakley (2007a)=U; Gajdeczka et al. (2010)= Q; Fernald (1911); Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ERICAC
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Ericaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Heath Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 107-124 genera and 3400-4100 species, primarily shrubs, small trees, and subshrubs, nearly cosmopolitan. The Ericaceae is very important in our area, which is one of the north temperate centers of diversity for the Ericaceae, with a great diversity of genera and species, many of them rather narrowly endemic. Along with Quercus and Pinus, various members of this family are dominant in much of our landscape.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Tucker in FNA (2009); Gillespie & Kron (2010, 2013); Kron et al. (2002); Wood (1961); Judd & Kron (1993); Kron & Chase (1993); Luteyn et al. (1996)=L; Dorr & Barrie (1993); Cullings & Hileman (1997); Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 1-3 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Shrub

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION: Deciduous

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Apr-Jun

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Red flowers, black fruit

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x	x	x

FRUITING PERIOD: Jul-Aug.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Dry forests
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Black huckleberry is a wonderful small colonial shrub. It has reddish urn shaped flowers in spring followed by edible black huckleberries in summer. Best of all is its fall color. The deep red and orange leaves will stick around for some time and really help to add some interest to plantings late in the season. Try this great landscape plant as a tall groundcover or inter-planted with other perennials or shrubs.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet, Well-drained
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 4
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 8
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
334	HORT	2010-06-19	Poythress	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
330	2011-0197	2011-09-02	334	View
9570	2023-0017	2019-03-01	0	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
784	330	12	NCBG staff	2011-10-27	View
785	330	34	NCBG staff	2011-10-27	View
786	330	31	NCBG staff	2011-10-27	View
787	330	32	NCBG staff	2011-10-27	View
788	330	102	Neal	2011-12-06	View
789	330	15	Liloia	2012-10-01	View
12168	330	17	Liloia	2012-05-31	View
13475	9570	224	Daley	2023-02-01	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: GABA
USDA Common Name: Black Huckleberry
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (NB, NF, NS, ON, PE, QC), FRA (SPM)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Shrub

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU				FACU			FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Gaylussacia baccata
COMMON NAME: Black Huckleberry, Crackleberry
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, FNA, G, Il, K, L, Pa, Q, RAB, V, Va, W, WV, Y, Z; = Decachaena baccata (Wangenheim) Small - S]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-Jun; Jul-Aug.
HABITAT: Xeric, acidic forests and woodlands, rock outcrops, to 1600m elevation.
COMMENTS: NL (Newfoundland) and QC west to ON and MB, south to ne. NC, nw. SC, n. GA, AL, and MO; in GA, NC, and SC it is primarily montane in distribution, but in VA it occurs throughout the state.
RANGE MAP: Gaylussacia baccata.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Ericaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Heath Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 107-124 genera and 3400-4100 species, primarily shrubs, small trees, and subshrubs, nearly cosmopolitan. The Ericaceae is very important in our area, which is one of the north temperate centers of diversity for the Ericaceae, with a great diversity of genera and species, many of them rather narrowly endemic. Along with Quercus and Pinus, various members of this family are dominant in much of our landscape.
REFERENCE: Tucker in FNA (2009); Gillespie & Kron (2010, 2013); Kron et al. (2002); Wood (1961); Judd & Kron (1993); Kron & Chase (1993); Luteyn et al. (1996)=L; Dorr & Barrie (1993); Cullings & Hileman (1997); Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Gaylussacia Kunth (Huckleberry)
SUMMARY: A genus of ca. 50 species, shrubs, of North and South America (centered in South America). The sections and subsections follow Sleumer (1967a). A study of the phylogeny of the genus Gaylussacia provided some evidence for the treatment of Gaylussacia brachycera as a monotypic genus or within Vaccinium; additional study is needed.
REFERENCE: Sorrie, Weakley, & Tucker in FNA (2009); Sleumer (1967a)=Z; Camp (1935)=Y; Godfrey (1988)=X; Duncan & Brittain (1966)=V; Sorrie & Weakley (2007a)=U; Gajdeczka et al. (2010)= Q; Fernald (1911); Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Gaylussacia baccata in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Gaylussacia baccata in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Gaylussacia baccata in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Gaylussacia baccata in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Gaylussacia baccata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Gaylussacia baccata

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 14630 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 14630 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 14629 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 5119 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)