Description
This is one of the hardiest plants growing in the woods. Rarely solitary, it is most often found growing in who-knows-how-big colonies covering hundreds of square feet. Tolerant of full shade to part sun and acidic nutrient poor soils, usually under red oaks and white pines, in upland areas. The berries are rarely produced in quantity, but what the lack in volume they make up for in their tastyness. Intensely sweet, they are mildly reminiscent of blueberries, of which they are closely related to, but with a distinctive flavor profile. Flowers are a distinctive orange-red. The leaves turn a mouth watering burgundy color in the autumn, and when en masse, they cloak the forest floor in this most regal color. We often talk about layers in the forest; trees, shrubs, and perennials when presented most simplistically. But all of these layers can be split into sub-layers, depending on the plant community we are referencing. Black huckleberry forms the low-mid shrub layer; higher than lowbush blueberry, but far lower than witch hazel. Companions plants include; bearberry, lowbush and highbush blueberry, bracken fern,and sheep laurel. I use this plant extensively to restore the shrub layer of logged forests (the shrub and herbaceous layers seems to suffer the most during logging.)
1 gallon pot size. Available in late Spring 2026
