The Types of Native Oregon Blueberry Bushes

Alpine Blueberry

• Alpine blueberry (Vaccinium alaskaense) grows wild in northern Oregon's forests, from the lowlands to elevations of 6,000 feet in the Western Cascades. The up-to-6-foot shrub has oval leaves with deep green surfaces and lighter undersides. Its bronze-pink, bell-shaped spring flowers give way to blue or purple-black edible berries.

Dwarf Blueberry

• Dwarf blueberry (Vaccinium caespitosum) grows in mountain meadows and subalpine spruce and fir forests throughout Oregon's Cascades. Seldom exceeding 1 foot high, it forms mats of bright green, 1-inch leaves. Its tiny, tubular pink flowers bloom from midspring until late summer. The edible berries that follow are blue to black.

Cascade Blueberry

• Another low shrub, Cascade blueberry (Vaccinium deliciosum) thrives in the high-elevation forests of northern Oregon's Cascade Mountains. Reaching 12 inches high, it has single, nodding pink blooms and green leaves with waxy undersides. Its blueberries are among the sweetest of all native blueberries, according to Washington Natural Heritage Program Botanist Joe Arnett.

Thin-Leaved Blueberry

• Thin-leaved blueberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), also known as big huckleberry, grows up to 6 feet high. Its green, oval leaves serve as a backdrop for single, urnlike pale-yellow blooms. This forest shrub grows throughout the Cascades from northern to southern Oregon into California. Its round, reddish-purple or red berries measure up to 3/8 of an inch long.

Early Blueberry

• More than 6 feet tall, early blueberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium) grows in Oregon's coastal mountain and interior forests. Measuring up to 1 3/4 inches, its oval leaves have dark green surfaces with lighter undersides. The shade-tolerant shrub's bronze-pink, bell-shaped flowers produce waxy, blue berries. Northwestern Oregon's native people ate them straight off the bushes or dried. The dried berries have a raisinlike sweetness and appearance.

Evergreen Blueberry

• In the right conditions, evergreen blueberry (Vaccinium ovatum) reaches heights in excess of 10 feet. It has glossy, dark-green toothed foliage, dense clusters of narrow, pink belled blooms and black, round berries. This shrub flourishes in acidic soils with pH readings between 4.3 and 5.2. It's happy in the sandy soils of northern Oregon's coastal dunes ocean-facing slopes.

Red Blueberry

• Red blueberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) grows in a range of Oregon habitats west of the Cascades. Reaching heights between 6 and 25 feet, it has angling branches with narrow, tapering leaves. The green foliage becomes deciduous as it matures. Its waxy blooms may be white, pale green or yellow-pink. Its 1/4-inch berries -- also known as red huckleberries -- are pink to red. Oregon's Coastal Range beavers feast on them. Red blueberry grows in coniferous understories from sea level to 5,000 feet. It often forms thickets in coastal hemlock or spruce forests.

Bog Blueberry

• Bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) forms spreading 6-inch to 1-foot mounds of small, leathery green leaves. Its tiny white or pink flowers, measuring just 1/8 of an inch long, give way to small blue or black berries. The fruit is a dietary staple for many species of small mammals and birds. This subshrub frequently dominates Oregon's low-lying coastal bogs. It thrives in acidic soils and tolerates both well-drained and wet sites.