Vaccinium vitis-idaea 越橘、紅豆

Common name: Cowberry
Scientific name: Vaccinium vitis-idaea 越橘、紅豆
Genus:  Vaccinium 越橘屬
Family: Ericaceae 杜鵑花科, heath or heather family

Origin:  native

Date:  19th April and 22nd May on different locations.

[393] a large cluster of cowberries.

[010] (took on 19th April) A young plant. Leaves color purple, maybe because of cold winter before)

[008] (took on 19th April) A young plant with flower buds.

[009] (took on 19th April) A young plant showing the paler color of the lower surface of the leaves.

[389_1] Dwarf evergreen shrub, can grow up to 30cm, with numerous erect, much-branched stems.

[380_1] Stems twigs smooth (clearly pubescent 被短柔毛的 on above photo and also described in eflora of China).

[376_1] Leaves 1-3cm, glabrous; dark green and glossy above. Margin entire (or obscurely and bluntly toothed).

[377_1] Leaves paler below.

[377_2] Lower surface of young leaves. Margin pubescent of the young leaves.

[387_1] Flowering shoot.

[371_1] Inflorescence terminal, racemose.

[390_1] Later view showing the inflorescence, 2-8-flowered. Pedicel about 1mm, puberulous 微柔毛.

[375_1] Hypanthium 萼筒 glabrous; calyx lobes broadly triangular, about 1mm; corolla white or pink, about 6mm (5mm), bell-shaped (campanulate 鐘狀花冠); lobes erect, triangular-ovate, 2-2.5mm.

[383_1] Flowers 4-merous (but the middle right flower is clearly 5-merous)