Black Huckleberry is a native shrub in the blueberry family found in acidic forests and woodland areas above 1600 m in elevation from Canada south to Georgia. It is found in the coastal, Piedmont and mountains of NC. This shrub grows to 3 feet tall, 4-5 feet wide and often forms thickets. It prefers sandy or rocky soils in sun to partial shade and is drought-tolerant once established. The shallow spreading root system helps prevent erosion on slopes and rocky hillsides. In spring the red to pink urn-shaped flowers are visited by several pollinators. These are followed by a fleshy berry that matures to blue-black and is a wildlife favorite. Fall color is good in oranges and reds. Use this plant in a naturalized area, woodland setting, on slopes or dunes and to attract wildlife. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Watch for aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, and scale. Potential diseases are powdery mildew, leaf spots, and mummy berry.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Multi-stemmed
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Oblong; Obovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are 1-2¼" long and ½-1" across, oblong-ovate, obovate, or narrowly oval and smooth along their margins. Color is yellowish-green and slightly shiny, the underside is dull yellowish-green with fine resinous yellow dots and hairs. Fall color is oranges and reds.
Fall color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Pink; Red/Burgundy
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Urn
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Clusters of 1/3 inch urn-shaped red to pink flowers in the axils of leaves bloom from April to June.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Black; Blue
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
1/3 inch blueish black fruit displays from July to August.