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Black Huckleberry, Gaylussacia baccata (Wang.) K. Koch
Ericaceae

Height: A low, much-branched shrub, 30-60 cm high.

Twigs: Young twigs are hairy and the older bark is gray or dark brown and flaking.

Buds: Winter buds are red and have 2-3 scales. The new growth is thickly covered with shiny resinous globules, making the plant sticky.

Leaves: Alternate, oval elliptical or ovate, about 4 cm long, smooth except for hairs on the main veins. The margins are entire and hairy. The tip is often pointed and may have a minute sharp tip. Both surfaces are light green, though the undersurface is often yellowish. Resinous sticky glands cover both surfaces on the leaf.

Flowers: Deep pink or reddish-yellow bells subtended by reddish bracts and borne as one-sided clusters (racemes) towards the ends of the branches. The corolla is 5-toothed. There are 10 stamens. Blooms from mid-July to August.

Fruit: Shiny and black drupes, 6-7 mm in diameter, edible and sweet tasting, and contain 10 nutlets. Ripen in August or September.

Habitat: Found in dry and moist woods, thickets, and on dry rocky barrens and wet heaths. It is somewhat coastal in distribution. It has been recorded from the west coast south of the Bay of Islands, the South Coast, and the Avalon Peninsula.

Source: Native Trees and Shrubs
of Newfoundland and Labrador
By A. Glen Ryan

Used with permission from
Parks and Natural Areas Division
Department of Environment and Conservation
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador 1995