Deerberry

Scientific Name: Vaccinium stamineum. Although the genus name is thought to be derived from ancient Latin, further information about the name appears to have been lost over time.¹ The species name, stamineum, refers to the long stamens which are the male reproductive parts of the flowers.²

Common Name: Deerberry. This common name comes from reports of deer eating its berries! Other names include highbush huckleberry, buckberry, and southern gooseberry.^1,4,5

Family: Ericaceae (Heath Family). With a nearly worldwide distribution, the heath family has over 4000 species. The family encompasses everything from herbs to shrubs to trees which are all perennial plants and most often are found growing in acidic soils. With so many species, there is a lot of variation in the structure of the plants, but many have leaves which are alternate, undivided, and often small and leathery. The flower parts (petals, sepals, and stamens) are often in multiples of 4 or 5. Fruits can be berries, capsules (fruits that dry out and split open), or drupes (fleshy with one large seed). Can you guess any other species in this family? There are many that you may be familiar with – blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) and cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) have tasty fruits. There are many other native plants in this family which have been cultivated as ornamental plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas, and mountain laurel.^2,3

Average Height: 3-6’ but may reach 13’

Description: A perennial, deciduous plant that has a loose branching structure. The mature bark is gray or reddish brown with loose shredding strips. Twigs zigzag and may be pale green or brown in color. Note: Twigs are not yellow-green like those of Vaccinium pallidum, nor do they have small warts – a good tip for distinguishing between them! The green to glaucous blue-green, roughly oval leaves measure 1-3” long and ¾-1¼” wide and alternate along the twig. The edges of the leaves are often smooth but sometimes finely toothed. The lower side of the leaves are pale and often hairy. The flared, bell-shaped flowers grow in clusters. Each flower has 5 petals, measures about ¼” long and is greenish-white, sometimes with a hint of pink. The long stamens that extend beyond the petals are another important feature when identifying Vaccinium stamineum! The dangling fruits are round to pear-shaped berries measuring ½” across and may be green, pale yellow, or blue.^1,3,4,5,6

Bloom time: Apr – Jun

Notes: Sometimes different varieties of a species are recognized. Some scientists refer to the species we have described here as Vaccinium stamineum var. stamineum. Another variety in our area, the Appalachian deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum var. 2) is differentiated by its leaves which have very white undersides.⁹

Range: Found in every county in Virginia, deerberry is common throughout the state.⁷ Grows from Vermont southwest to Kansas and south from eastern Texas to Florida. Also found in Ontario.⁸

Geology/Soil: Prefers dry to somewhat moist, nutrient-poor, acidic soils that may be rocky or sandy. Can also be found on less acidic soils than other Vaccinium species. Often found on mafic, ultramafic, or calcareous rocks (all of which are usually rich in iron, magnesium, and/or calcium) – making it different from most Vaccinium species!^1,4,5,9

Habitat: Grows in very dry to dry or somewhat moist forests, woodlands, and outcrops.^3,4,7,9

Flora associations: Typically found with other plants that thrive on acidic soils. Trees may include many species of oaks (Quercus spp.) such as white oak (Q. alba), scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), chestnut oak (Q. montana), black oak (Q. velutina) and northern red oak (Q. rubra) plus hickories (Carya spp.), pines (Pinus spp.), blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica), and red maple (Acer rubrum). Shrubs and herbaceous plants may include lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum), maple-leaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), wild azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides), spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata), Solomon’s-seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. biflorum), eastern Solomon’s-plume (Maianthemum racemosum), and cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor).¹¹

Fauna associations: Both the cranberry oil bee (Melitta americana) and the deerberry melitta (Melitta eickworti) pollinate Vaccinium stamineum. These solitary bees engage in buzz pollination when they vibrate in order to release and collect pollen from the flowers.^12,13

There are numerous insects including moths, butterflies, leafhoppers, fruitflies, grasshoppers, aphids, and more associated with Vaccinium species. Some that feed on Vaccinium stamineum include the brown elfin butterfly (Callophrys augustinus), the triton dagger moth (Acronicta tritona), and the cranberry fruitworm (Acrobasis vaccinii). Although the fruits are sour, white-tailed deer, American black bears, wild turkeys, and other birds and small mammals eat them.^5,14

Human associations: Although eaten by wildlife, the berries are quite sour and people generally do not eat these berries. No other uses of the plant were found.^1,10

We want these plants to thrive and for everyone who gets to visit the park to enjoy them, so remember – don’t pick flowers or other parts of the plant!!

1 “Vaccinium Stamineum – Plant Finder.” Missouribotanicalgarden.org, 2025, www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=358426. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

2 ‌“Ericaceae – FNA.” Floranorthamerica.org, floranorthamerica.org/Ericaceae. Accessed 15 July 2024.

‌3 Weakley, A.S., J.C. Ludwig, and J.F. Townsend. 2012. Flora of Virginia. Bland Crowder, ed. Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project, Inc., Richmond. Fort Worth: Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press, pp. 528-548.

4 “Vascular Plants of North Carolina – Vaccinium Stamineum.” Ncparks.gov, 2019, auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/species_account.php. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

5 “Vaccinium Stamineum (Deerberry, Highbush Huckleberry) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.” Plants.ces.ncsu.edu, plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vaccinium-stamineum/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

6 “Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet.” Vt.edu, 2021, dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=584. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

7 “Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora | Vaccinium Stamineum L.” Vaplantatlas.org, 2025, www.vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=596&search=Search. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

8 “2014 BONAP Maps by States – Vaccinium Stamineum.” Bonap.net, 14 Dec. 2014, bonap.net/FieldMaps/Home/SingleMap?taxonId=9840&mapType=County. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

9 Weakley, A.S., and SE Flora Team. “Flora of the Southeastern United States.” Unc.edu, 2024, fsus.ncbg.unc.edu/main.php?pg=show-taxon.php&family=&plantname=vaccinium+stamineum&habitat=. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

10 “BRIT – Native American Ethnobotany Database.” Brit.org, 2025, http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=vaccinium+stamineum. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

11 “Acidic Oak – Hickory Forests.” Virginia.gov, 2021, www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-communities/nctc4. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

12 Komondy, Lidia, and Cameron Jack. “Melitta Americana Smith.” Entnemdept.ufl.edu, June 2021, entnemdept.ufl.edu/Creatures/MISC/BEES/Melitta_americana.htm. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

13 “Blunt-Horn Bees (Genus Melitta) | Vermont Atlas of Life.” Vtecostudies.org, 2020, val.vtecostudies.org/projects/vtbees/melitta/. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

14 “Search – vaccinium.” Bugguide.net, 2024, bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=vaccinium&search=Search. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

Definitions:

Glaucous: Covered by a waxy, whitish coating.

Mafic: A rock containing abundant dark minerals like amphibole and pyroxene. Soils weathered from these rocks are usually rich in iron, magnesium, and calcium.

Sepal: A leaf-like structure on the outer part of the flower.

Stamen: The male reproductive part of a flower, composed of an anther which bears pollen attached to the tip of a long, thin stalk called a filament.