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Dwarf Bilberry, Vaccinium cespitosum Michx.
Ericaceae

Height: A much-branched, tufted shrub, 5-30 cm high.

Twigs: Green to brownish, minutely hairy or smooth and somewhat ridged.

Buds: The buds have only 2 scales. The other Blueberries and Bilberries have 3 or more bud scales.

Leaves: Alternate, thin inversely ovate to spatula-shaped, pointed o rounded at the tip, and tapering to the base. They are bright green on both sides, hairless and shiny, fine-toothed, prominently net-veined, and 1.5-3 cm long.

Flowers: White to pinkish, 4-6 mm long, urn-shaped, nodding on short recurved stalks, and solitary in the leaf axils. Blooms in July.

Fruit: Light blue berries with a pale bloom, 6-8 mm in diameter, edible and sweet. Ripen in August.

Habitat: Found in coniferous woods, along rocky shores and talus slopes. Recorded from western Newfoundland, the Great Northern Peninsula, and North to about 56 degrees latitude in Labrador.

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