Difference Between Blueberries & Huckleberries

Habitat

• Wild blueberries grow in the northeastern portion of North America, including Maine and the Atlantic portion of Canada. Huckleberries are native to the northwestern United States (the huckleberry is the state fruit of Idaho) and Canada.

Blueberry

• There are 15 or 20 species of blueberries native to North America. The flowers of the blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium and vacillans) are white and bell-shaped. The two-foot high plants have leaves which are small, oval and alternately arranged.

Huckleberry

• There are about 40 species of huckleberry (Gaylussacia), all native to North America. The shrub grows from one to three feet high, and has resinous leaves which feel sticky when pinched.

Confusion

• Some people mistakenly believe that any plant with blue-colored fruit must be a blueberry, and that huckleberries are always black or purplish-black, when, in fact, blueberries can be almost black and huckleberries may be blue.

How to Distinguish

• Huckleberries and blueberries are distinguishable by their seeds. Each huckleberry contains 10 hard seeds, while a blueberry has numerous soft seeds. The two plants also differ in stem texture. Huckleberry stems are smooth while the blueberry's stem is "warty."