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Farkleberry

Vaccinium arboreum

Other common name(s):

Sparkleberry, Tree Sparkleberry, Winter Huckleberry, Huckleberry

Family:

Ericaceae (Heath Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

East Central Texas Plains, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Coastal Sand Plain, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

12
to
15
ft.

Spread

10
to
12
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Acid, Well Drained, Moist

Light Requirement

Part Shade

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Woodland, Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Fall Color, Pollen, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals, Bees

Maintenance

Drought tolerant. Sparkleberry grows best in sun to partial shade and likes dry to moist sandy or rocky soil. It is drought and heat tolerant and a high-value wildlife plant. Don’t prune. Propagation: Seed, Softwood cuttings.

Comments

Blooms March-June. Small tree In the blueberry family with small blue fruits for birds. Exfoliating reddish bark. In late spring, fragrant white urn-shaped flowers. Red fall color lasts a long time. Attracts birds, pollinators (including native bees), small mammals. Larval host: Henry’s Elfin Butterfly, Striped Hairstreak
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym/s: Batodendron andrachniforme, Batodendron arboreum, Vaccinium arboreum var. glaucescens

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 304, 305. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VAAR. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Vaccinium+arboreum&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=9872&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=23580#null, 8) https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vaccinium-arboreum/

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