Vaccinium floribundum
| Vaccinium floribundum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Vaccinium |
| Section: | Vaccinium sect. Pyxothamnus |
| Species: | V. floribundum |
| Binomial name | |
| Vaccinium floribundum Kunth 1819 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Synonymy
| |
Vaccinium floribundum, commonly known as mortiño, pushgay[2] or Andean blueberry, is a South American plant species.
Description
[edit]The slender shrub can reach 2–3 metres (6+1⁄2–10 feet) tall or it can be dwarf and prostrate. It has green foliage.[3]
The plant has pink flowers. The round berries are blue to almost blck with a whitish bloom and about 8 millimetres (1⁄4 inch) across.[3]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The species grows in the northern Andes, particularly in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia, at elevations from 2,800 to 4,000 metres (9,200 to 13,000 ft).[3]
Uses
[edit]The fruit is edible, but sometimes of a low quality in its wild state. It is collected and eaten raw and used in preserves. It is sold at some markets and used in a Ecuadorian dish to celebrate the Day of the Dead.[3]
References
[edit]- ↑ The Plant List, Vaccinium floribundum Kunth
- ↑ "San Marcos Andean Fruits - Presìdi Slow Food". Slow Food Foundation. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
- 1 2 3 4 National Research Council (U.S.). Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation (1989). Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. pp. 218–219. ISBN 978-0-309-04264-2.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Vaccinium floribundum at Wikimedia Commons- Photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Peru in 2012
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