Plant Index

 
 
 
 

Vaccinium virgatum

Vaccinium virgatum Aiton

rabbiteye blueberry, swamp blueberry

Synonym(s): Cyanococcus amoenus, Cyanococcus virgatus
Cultivar(s): O'Neal, Southland, Tifblue
Vaccinium virgatum (Rabbiteye Blueberry)
Image ID: 14105
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: VAVI2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Vaccinium virgatum
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2020-01-01

CULTIVAR INDEX

Cult_id Cultivar_name Action
1647 O'Neal View
149 Southland View
205 Tifblue View

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: VACCI
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Vaccinium
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Blueberry
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of 140 species, shrubs, lianes, and small trees, semicosmopolitan. Vaccinium in our area is divided into 6 strongly differentiated sections, sometimes, as by Small, treated as separate genera. The taxonomy of Vaccinium remains unclear – past divergence of opinion is obvious in the synonymy. For instance, Small (1933) recognizes 6 genera and 25 species for our area, Ahles in RAB (1968) recognizes 1 genus and 14 species (one with 2 varieties) (not including VA), and Vander Kloet (1988) recognizes 1 genus and 9 species. The highbush blueberries of section Cyanococcus are particularly difficult. Vander Kloets extremely broad concept of the highbush blueberries as consisting of a single species, V. corymbosum, including V. fuscatum (V. atrococcum – RAB), V. simulatum (V. constablaei – RAB), V. virgatum (V. amoenum – RAB), V. elliottii, V. formosum (V. australe), and V. caesariense (and many other named taxa not recognized here) has been adopted by some recent authors, at least partly for its ease of application. I agree with Godfrey (1988), though, that V. elliottii has such distinctiveness as to be recognizable in the field at a glance. The other taxa are less easily recognizable, but seem to have substantial morphological and phytogeographic integrity. The fairly frequent presence of hybrid individuals and populations can make identification frustrating, but I agree with Ward (1974) that the genus Vaccinium ... is difficult but not in any way an irresolvable tangle of intergrading populations. The vast bulk of individuals encountered in the field may be assigned, as with any non-apomict genus, to a relatively few, discrete, and wholly recognizable species. Many of the taxa included in V. corymbosum by Vander Kloet (1988) and Luteyn et al. (1996) occur together in combinations of two to four, are immediately recognizable in the field, bloom at different times, and have different flower, fruit, and leaf morphology. Failure to recognize multiple entities within the highbush blueberries results in the taxonomic homogenization of the diversity of the group and obscures important phytogeographic patterns. Our area, with 20 species (24 taxa) in 6 sections, has a greater diversity of Vaccinium than any other comparably sized area in North America.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Vander Kloet (1988)=Z; Uttal (1987)=Y; Camp (1945)=X; Ashe (1931)=V; Ward (1974)=Q; Luteyn et al. (1996)=L; Vander Kloet in FNA (2009); Vander Kloet & Hall (1981); Vander Kloet (1977, 1978a, 1978b, 1980, 1982, 1983a, 1983b); Uttal (1986a, 1986b); Smith et al. (2015)=D; Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004). Key based in part on Uttal (1987).

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:
DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Shrub
LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION:
FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Mar-Apr
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
x x

BLOOM COLOR:
White Red Pink Orange Yellow Green Blue Lavender Purple Violet Brown Not Applicable

FRUITING PERIOD: May-Jun.
DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE:
HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE:
LIGHT EXPOSURE:
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id Project Collection date Collector Action
1039 HORT 2005-08-02 Lewandowski View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id acc_num acc_dt coll_id Action
2359 1986-2196 View
7356 2000-0099 2000-03-22 View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num acc_id loc_num pers_num inst_dt Action
4049 2359 94 NCBG staff 1986-12-31 View
10048 7112 159 NCBG staff 1999-05-01 View
10337 7356 160 NCBG staff 2000-03-21 View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: VAVI2
USDA Common Name: Smallflower Blueberry
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TX)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Shrub

2018 Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species of North Carolina

NHP IDS RANKROUNDED S RANKG RANKROUNDED G RANKSTATE STATUSFEDERAL STATUS
20122 S2? S2 G4 G4 W7

This information is derived from the 2018 North Carolina Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species.

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Vaccinium virgatum
COMMON NAME: Swamp Blueberry, Rabbiteye Blueberry
SYNONYMY: [= GW, K; < V. corymbosum - L, WH3, Z; = V. amoenum Aiton - RAB; = Cyanococcus amoenus (Aiton) Small - S; > V. virgatum - X; > V. amoenum - X; > V. ashei Reade - X]
PHENOLOGY: Mar-Apr; May-Jun.
HABITAT: Pocosins and Chamaecyparis swamps, also in various drier habitats, including turkey oak sandhills.
COMMENTS: A Southeastern Coastal Plain species, V. virgatum occurs from se. NC south to FL and west to e. TX.
RANGE MAP: Vaccinium virgatum.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)
Vaccinium L. (Blueberry)
SUMMARY: A genus of 140 species, shrubs, lianes, and small trees, semicosmopolitan. Vaccinium in our area is divided into 6 strongly differentiated sections, sometimes, as by Small, treated as separate genera. The taxonomy of Vaccinium remains unclear – past divergence of opinion is obvious in the synonymy. For instance, Small (1933) recognizes 6 genera and 25 species for our area, Ahles in RAB (1968) recognizes 1 genus and 14 species (one with 2 varieties) (not including VA), and Vander Kloet (1988) recognizes 1 genus and 9 species. The highbush blueberries of section Cyanococcus are particularly difficult. Vander Kloets extremely broad concept of the highbush blueberries as consisting of a single species, V. corymbosum, including V. fuscatum (V. atrococcum – RAB), V. simulatum (V. constablaei – RAB), V. virgatum (V. amoenum – RAB), V. elliottii, V. formosum (V. australe), and V. caesariense (and many other named taxa not recognized here) has been adopted by some recent authors, at least partly for its ease of application. I agree with Godfrey (1988), though, that V. elliottii has such distinctiveness as to be recognizable in the field at a glance. The other taxa are less easily recognizable, but seem to have substantial morphological and phytogeographic integrity. The fairly frequent presence of hybrid individuals and populations can make identification frustrating, but I agree with Ward (1974) that the genus Vaccinium ... is difficult but not in any way an irresolvable tangle of intergrading populations. The vast bulk of individuals encountered in the field may be assigned, as with any non-apomict genus, to a relatively few, discrete, and wholly recognizable species. Many of the taxa included in V. corymbosum by Vander Kloet (1988) and Luteyn et al. (1996) occur together in combinations of two to four, are immediately recognizable in the field, bloom at different times, and have different flower, fruit, and leaf morphology. Failure to recognize multiple entities within the highbush blueberries results in the taxonomic homogenization of the diversity of the group and obscures important phytogeographic patterns. Our area, with 20 species (24 taxa) in 6 sections, has a greater diversity of Vaccinium than any other comparably sized area in North America.
REFERENCE: Vander Kloet (1988)=Z; Uttal (1987)=Y; Camp (1945)=X; Ashe (1931)=V; Ward (1974)=Q; Luteyn et al. (1996)=L; Vander Kloet in FNA (2009); Vander Kloet & Hall (1981); Vander Kloet (1977, 1978a, 1978b, 1980, 1982, 1983a, 1983b); Uttal (1986a, 1986b); Smith et al. (2015)=D; Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004). Key based in part on Uttal (1987).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

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

WEB RESOURCES

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

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 14105 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 14105 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 14103 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 0 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)

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