The genus Vaccinium L. includes approximately 400 species, which are concentrated in the montane tropics but extend to all continents except Australia.
It is a high value crop which can thrive on acidic, imperfectly drained sandy soils, once conspired worthless for agriculture crop production.
Blueberry fruits are round and slightly flattened in shape. Blueberries have small, mostly elliptic, short stalked leaves.
They have a crown like structure on the calyx end (bottom) of the fruit and a depressed ring on the top of the fruit where the stem was attached.
The skin is smooth and soft and ranges from light blue to dark blue, often with a grayish cast. Blueberries are small, usually around 1/2 inch in diameter.
Blueberry has been domesticated most recently, having been accomplished entirely within the 20th century.
Wild lowbush blueberry plants were probably the first blueberries to be cultivated with native North Americans burning the heaths to increase.
Fruit of Blueberry
