Black Huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum)

If you've never stuffed a handful of these berries into your mouth while hiking in the mountains, you are missing out! Black huckleberry shrubs are a tasty addition to the garden, and look especially beautiful in the fall when their leaves turn deep red and purple. They do best with little competition in well drained, slightly acidic soil with plenty of organic matter and moisture. Very hardy and drought tolerant once established.

Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
Soil & Moisture: Prefers acidic and moist but well-drained soil, drought tolerant once established.
Mature Size: 2'-5' tall
Bloom Time: Mid-late spring
Edible: Yes (berries)
Wildlife Value: Flowers attract bees and other polllinators. The berries are an important food source for grizzly and black bears; small mammals and birds also eat the berries, as well as use the shrub as cover. Elk and deer browse on the foliage.
Native Range & Habitat: Common understory shrub in dry to moist coniferous forests, as well as in open areas such as burns, wet meadows, and subalpine slopes. Occurs at middle to high elevations, from British Columbia, south to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.
Other Names: Thinleaf huckleberry, mountain huckleberry