About Vaccinium hirsutum Buckley
Vaccinium hirsutum Buckley is a flowering plant species in the heath family, commonly called hairy blueberry. This species is endemic to a small area of the southern Appalachian Mountains, where it has only been recorded from a few counties in eastern Tennessee, northern Georgia, and the Carolinas. It is native to dry oak-pine ridges, and can be locally abundant within this habitat. It is a shrub that grows up to 75 cm (28 inches) tall, and forms large colonies. Its leaves are rather thick, elliptical in shape, densely hairy, and reach up to 62 mm (2 1/2 inches) long. In late spring, Vaccinium hirsutum produces white, cylindrical flowers. These are followed by hairy, black berries that develop in the summer.
