Vaccinium myrtillus orEuropean blueberry is aholarctic species ofshrub with edible fruit of blue color, known by the common namesbilberry,blaeberry,wimberry, andwhortleberry.[3] It is more precisely calledcommon bilberry orblue whortleberry to distinguish it from otherVaccinium relatives.
Vaccinium myrtillus is a smalldeciduous shrub that grows 10–51 centimetres (4–20 in) tall, heavily branched with upright, angular to narrow winged, green-colored branches that are glabrous. It growsrhizomes, creating extensive patches. The shrub can live up to 30 years, with roots reaching depths of up to 1 metre (3+1⁄2 ft). It has light greenleaves that turn red in autumn and are simple and alternate in arrangement.[4] The leaves are1–3 cm (3⁄8–1+1⁄8 in) long and ovate to lanceolate or broadly elliptic in shape, with glandular to finely toothed margins;[4] they are prominently veined on the lower surface.[5] In winter, the foliage turns deep red and becomes deciduous.
Small, hermaphrodite flowers with thickstems (about2–3 millimetres or1⁄16–1⁄8 inch long) grow individually from the leaf axils and nod downward. These flowers, blooming from April to May, have crowns 4 to 6 mm long that are greenish to reddish. The smallcalyx is fused with minimal lobes on the cup-shaped flower. The rounded, urn-shaped, white-to-pink petals[5] have short, curved lobes. The 8–10 stamens are short, and the anthers are awned and horned. The four- or five-chambered ovary is inferior with a long style.
From July to September, the plants produce black-blue, flattened, round fruits with a diameter up to 1 cm.[5] These multi-seeded berries have calyx remnants on the tip and a blue-gray frosted appearance. Rarely, forms with white, yellow, red, or reddish-spotted berries occur. The small, brownish seeds are crescent-shaped. This species differs fromV. corymbosum in that itsanthocyanins, which produce color, are found in both the peel and the flesh.
Bilberry and the relatedV. uliginosum both producelignins, in part because they are used asdefensive chemicals.[8] Although many plants change their lignin production – usually to increase it – to handle the stresses ofclimate change, lignin levels of bothVaccinium species appear to be unaffected.[8] The leaves contain catechins, tannins, quinic acid, arbutin, chlorogenic acid, various glycosides, the fruits contain anthocyanins,pectin,ursolic acid,chlorogenic acid, andascorbic acid.[9]
V. myrtillus contains a high concentration oftriterpenes which remain under laboratory research for their possible biological effects.[10]
Vaccinium myrtillus is aHolarctic species native to almost every country in Europe, north and central Asia, Japan, Greenland, Western Canada, and the Western United States. Within Europe it is only absent fromSardinia,Sicily, the European portion ofTurkey,Crete, theAegean Islands,Cyprus,Crimea, and southernEuropean Russia.[16] It occurs in the acidic soils ofheaths, boggybarrens,moorlands, degraded meadows, open forests at the base of pine and mountain spruce forest, and parklands, slopes, andmoraines at elevations up to 2,350 m (7,710 ft).[17][18]
The berry is edible.[5] The fruits will stain hands, teeth and tongue deep blue or purple while eating and so it was traditionally used as adye for food and clothes in Britain.[19]
Vaccinium myrtillus has been used for centuries intraditional medicine, particularly in traditionalAustrian medicine as a tea or liqueur in attempts to treat various disorders.[20] Bilberrydietary supplements are marketed in the United States, although there is little evidence these products have any effect on health or diseases.[3]
In cooking, the bilberry fruit is commonly used for pies, tarts and flans, cakes, jams,muffins, cookies, sauces,syrups, juices, and candies.[3]
Although bilberries are in high demand by consumers in Northern Europe, the berries are harvested in the wild without any cultivation. Some authors state that opportunities exist to improve the crop if cultivated using common agricultural practices.[21]
^Oberdorfer, Erich (2001).Pflanzensoziologische Exkursionsflora für Deutschland und angrenzende Gebiete (in German). Stuttgart: Ulmer. p. 732.ISBN3-8001-3131-5.
