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| ## black huckleberry {#black-huckleberry .Title-Header}               |
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| *Vaccinium membranaceum* Dougl. ex Torr.                              |
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| Plant Symbol = VAME                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center & Oregon Plant
Materials Center

### 

##### Alternate Names

Thinleaf huckleberry

##### Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: The nlaka\'pamux of British Columbia, the
Okanagan-Colville and Nez Perce of eastern Washington, the Plateau
Indians of the Columbia River Gorge, the Kootenay of southeastern
British Columbia, and the Flathead people of Montana (among others)
really savored the black huckleberries (Turner et al. 1990; Hunn 1990;
Hart 1976).

Traditionally, black huckleberry fruits were eaten raw and fresh, or
were cooked, mashed, and dried in the sun as cakes. The Nez Perce boiled
the dried berries before they were eaten. The Stoney (Assiniboin)
sometimes mixed the berries in pemmican. Okanagan-Colville people used
the ripening of black hawthorn fruits (*Crataegus douglasii* Lindl.) as
an indicator of when black huckleberries would be ripe in the mountains.
They ate huckleberries fresh with meat; partially dried

them, crushed them and formed them into cakes; or fully dried them. In
British Columbia, the Kwakwaka\'wakw cooked them with salmon roe and the
Sechelt smoke-dried them, using black huckleberry branches as part of
the fuel.

A first fruits ceremony or feast is held by many nations in the Pacific
Northwest, including the Columbia Plateau Indians, the Umatilla, the
Yakima, the Warm Springs, and the Colville Confederated Tribes.
Huckleberry feasts are held in July or August, coinciding with the first
berry harvest. A thanksgiving ceremony is held at this time, with
gratitude expressed through prayer, dancing, and celebration. Feasts
used to also be given at a girl\'s first berry picking or root gathering
and at the first procuring of game by a boy. These generally occurred
when the child was ten years old. At these feasts, they served food
procured by the child along with other foods. The elders praised and
blessed the work of the child, giving the child the power to become
great and successful later in life.
![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.2916666666666665in"
height="2.602777777777778in"}

After the huckleberry feast, the *Sahaptin* people of the Columbia
Plateau would leave for a seasonal migration to the mountains to gather
berries and to escape the summer heat. Special baskets, called
\"Klikitat baskets\" of cedar root decorated with bear grass and bitter
cherry bark, were used for berry picking. The surplus berries were dried
slowly over a fire that was kept smoldering in a rotten log (Filloon
1952). This method of drying the berries preserves the bulk of the
Vitamin C content in the fruits (Norton et al. 1984:223).

Each family from the Columbia Plateau area would gather four or five
pecks (ca. four to five gallons) of dried berries for winter use
(Perkins n.d. (1838-43), Book 1:10). Hunn (1990) estimates that there
were 28-42 harvest days in a year. This resulted in a total annual
harvest of 63.9-80.2 kg/woman/year from the Tenino-Wishram area, and 90
kg/woman/year from the Umatilla area. The net result was a huckleberry
harvest yield of 31 kcal/person/day in the Tenino-Wishram area and 42
kcal/person/day for the Umatilla area (Hunn 1981: 130-131). *Vaccinium*
species contain 622 Kcal per 100 gm berries, with 15.3 gm carbohydrate,
0.5 gm fat, 0.7 gm protein and 83.2 gm water (Hunn 1981:130-131).

Huckleberries are used for a lavender or purple natural dye in the
twined corn husk bags made by the Nez Perce; the cornhusks are dyed with
the juice of the berries. The Nlaka\'pamux sometimes used the leaves in
smoking mixture (Turner 1990).

*Other Uses*: *Vaccinium membranaceum* is the most highly regarded of
the huckleberry species within its range, especially in British Columbia
and neighboring areas (Turner 1975, 1978). People of all cultures love
these huckleberries. Today, the berries are eaten fresh, baked in
pancakes, pies, and muffins, canned, frozen, or made into jams and
jellies. Berries are usually picked in late July or August. The leaves
can be used fresh or dried to make a tea.

Huckleberry leaves and finely chopped stems contain quinic acid, a
former therapeutic for gout said to inhibit uric acid formation but
never widely used because of mixed clinical results (Moore 1979). The
leaves have been widely used to lower or modify blood sugar levels,
particularly in Europe. Taken on regular basis, huckleberry tea will
gradually help alleviate both glycosuria and hyperglycemia and has a
benign but useful effect as an adjunct treatment to diabetes mellitus.

*Wildlife*: Huckleberry fruits are an important food source for
songbirds, gulls, cranes, pigeons, turkeys, and upland game birds. Many
mammals, from black bears to mice, feed on red huckleberries. Herbivores
graze on the entire plant; it appears to be a favorite browse of deer.
Huckleberries and blueberries form a major part of the grizzly and black
bear\'s diet in late summer and fall. Grouse feast on the leaves and
blossoms. The fruits, twigs, and foliage are eaten by foxes, opossums,
raccoons, squirrels, deer, moose, caribou, elk, pikas, cottontail
rabbits, and skunks.

##### Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious
status, and wetland indicator values.

##### Description

*General*: Huckleberry Family (Ericaceae). Black huckleberry is an
erect, deciduous shrub 0.1-2 m tall. The leaves, up to 5 cm long, are
elliptical with a long pointed tip and a finely serrated margin. The
bell-shaped flowers are creamy-pink, and are found singly on the
underside of the twigs. The berries are large, spherical, sweet, and
dark purple or black. In some forms the berries are covered with a waxy
bloom; others have shiny dark berries.

*Distribution*: For current distribution, please consult the Plant
Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Black huckleberry
is found in thickets and on Montana slopes in coniferous woods at
elevations from 1000-1800 m. It grows in sandy or gravelly soils,
ranging from moist to dry growing conditions. *Vaccinium membranaceum*
grows from British Columbia to Alberta and Ontario, north to the
Mackenzie Delta area, south to California in the Klamath Range and North
Coast Range, and east to Michigan.

##### Establishment

Black huckleberry requires moist and acidic soils to become established.
*Vaccinium membranaceum* is very difficult to establish.

*Cuttings*: Take cuttings from rhizomes in early spring or late summer
and autumn. Dig up the rhizomes and cut them into lengths of 10 cm or
longer. Place the cuttings in vermiculite at 21 °C. Once the roots are
established and meristematic activity is initiated, the small cuttings
may be moved to individual pots with a peat:sand soil mixture (1:1)
potting soil. The soil should be kept fairly moist. When plants are the
size desired, plant in soils that are fairly acidic, or add the
peat-sand mixture to the soil before planting. Plants must be kept well
watered to become established. Plants establish well in partial shade.

*Seeds*: Collect the berries in the fall and clean by running them
through a blender with dull blades, straining the pulp with a sieve, and
spreading them to dry on a paper towel. Most authors believe that the
seeds require no stratification or scarification (Haeussler et al. 1990;
Link 1993; Minore and Smart 1978). However, Albright (1996) found poor
germination without stratification and recommends over-wintering of
seeds in flats outside. Seeds germinate within 16-21 days of sowing.
Germination percentages can be improved by sowing the seed on moist peat
in a growth chamber at 18° C (for 12 hours a day) and 13° C (for 12
hours a day). Seven weeks after germination warm the growth chamber to
20 ° C (for 14 hours a day) and 14° C (for 10 hours a day). Fertilize
the seedlings after they are 10 weeks old and transplant into a
peat-sand soil mixture (1:1) in individual pots after 12 weeks (Minore
and Smart 1978). The soil should be kept fairly moist.

##### Management

Huckleberry plants grow very rapidly in moist, shady conditions. If
summer drought occurs, the plants should be watered so roots are kept
fairly moist.

*Traditional Resource Management*: Management of this plant includes the
following: 1) occasional burning to stimulate new growth; 2) pruning the
branches after picking the berries to stimulate new growth and fruit
production the next growing season; and 3) ownership of black
huckleberry shrubs provides the basis for careful tending and
sustainable yield of valued resources.

##### Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

This species is available at some native plant nurseries within its
range. Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service
(formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look
in the phone book under "United States Government." The Natural
Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading
"Department of Agriculture."

##### References

Abrams, L & R.S. Ferris 1960. *Illustrated flora of the Pacific states*.
4 Vols. Stanford University Press, Palo Alto, California.

Albright, M. 1996. *Greenhouse Manager*. USDI, National Park Service,
Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, Washington. Personal communication.

Cooke, S. S. 1997. *A field guide to the common wetland plants of
western Washington and northwestern Oregon*. Seattle Audubon Society and
Washington Native Plant Society. 414 pp.

Crossley, J.A. 1974. *Vaccinium L. blueberry*. Pages 840-843, IN:
Shopmeyer, C.S. (tech. coord.) Seeds of the woody plants in the United
States. USDA, FS, Agric. Handbook 450. Washington, D.C. 883 pp.

Dirr, M.A. & C.W. Heuser, Jr. 1987. *The reference manual of woody plant
propagation: From seed to tissue culture*. Varsity Press, Athens,
Georgia. 329 pp.

Filloon, R. M. 1952. *Huckleberry pilgrimage*. Pacific Discovery
5(3):4-13.

Gunther, E. 1945 rev. 1973. *Ethnobotany of western Washington*.
University of Washington Publications in Anthropology, 10(1). University
of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington.

Haeussler, S., D. Coates, & J. Mather 1990. *Autecology of common plants
in British Columbia: A literature review*. British Columbia Ministry of
Forests. 272 pp.

Harbinger, L. J. 1964*. The importance of food plants in the maintenance
of Nez Perce cultural identity.* Master of Arts in Anthropology.
Washington State University, Pullman, Washington. 73 pp.

Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. *The Jepson manual. Higher plants of
California*. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 1399
pp.

Hitchcock, C. L. & A. Cronquist 1973 *. Flora of the Pacific Northwest.
An illustrated manual*. University of Washington Press, Seattle and
London. 730 pp.

Hunn, E. S. 1990*. Nch\'i-Wana \"The Big River\" Mid-Columbia Indians
and their land*. University of Washington Press, Seattle and London. 378
pp.

Hunn, E. S. 1981. *On the relative contribution of men and women to
subsistence among hunter-gatherers of the Columbia Plateau: A comparison
with ethnographic atlas summaries*. J. of Ethnobiology 1:124-34.

Isaacson, R. T. 1993. *Anderson horticultural library\'s source list of
plants and seeds*. Anderson Horticultural Library. University of
Minnesota Libraries. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. 261 pp.

Kunlein, H.V. a& N. J. Turner 1991. *Traditional plant foods of Canadian
indigenous peoples.* Nutrition, botany, and use. Food and nutrition in
history and Anthropology Volume *8.* Gordon and Breach Science
Publishers. 632 pp.

Leigh, M.A. 1997. *Grow your own native landscape: A guide to
identifying, propagating, and landscaping with western Washington native
plants*. Environmental Protection Agency, The Washington State
Department of Ecology, and Washington State University Cooperative
Extension.

Link, E. (ed.) 1993. *Native plant propagation techniques for national
parks: Interim guide*. USDA, NRCS, Rose Lake Plant Material Center, East
Lansing, Michigan. 240 pp.

Minore, D. & A.W. Smart 1978. *Frost tolerance in seedlings of Vaccinium
membranaceum, Vaccinium globulare, and Vaccinium deliciosum*. Northwest
Science 52(3):179-185.

Moore, M. 1979. *Medicinal plants of the mountain west*. Museum of New
Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 200 pp.

Moser, C. L. 1993. *Native American basketry of Southern California*.
Riverside Museum Press, Riverside, California. 155 pp.

Norton, H.H., E.S. Hunn, C.S. Martinsen, & P.B. Keely 1984*. Vegetable
food products of the foraging economies of the Pacific Northwest.*
Ecology of Food and Nutrition 14:219-228.

Rose, R., C.E.C. Chachulski, & D. Haase 1998*. Propagation of Pacific
Northwest native plants*. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis,
Oregon.

Stevens, M.L. & R. Vanbianchi 1993. *Restoring wetlands in Washington. A
guidebook for wetland restoration, planning and implementation*.
Washington State Department of Ecology, Publication #93-17, Olympia,
Washington.

Turner, N.J., L.C. Thompson, M.T. Thompson & A.Z. York 1990 *. Thompson
ethnobotany: Knowledge and usage of plants by the Thompson Indians of
British Columbia*. Royal British Columbia Museum Memoirs No. 3,
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Turner, N.J., J. Thomas, B.F. Carlson & R.T. Ogilvie 1983 . *Ethnobotany
of the Nitinaht Indians of Vancouver Island*. British Columbia,
Provincial Museum Occasional Paper No. 24, 165 pp.

Turner, N.J. & B.S. Efrat 1982 *Ethnobotany of the Hesquiat Indians of
Vancouver Island*. British Columbia, Provincial Museum Cultural Recovery
Paper No. 2. 99 pp.

Turner, N.J. 1978. *Food plant of British Columbia Indians. Part II.
Interior Peoples*. British Columbia Provincial Museum Handbook No. 36,
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Turner, N.J. 1975. *Food plants of British Columbia Indians. Part I.
Coastal Peoples*. British Columbia Provincial Museum Handbook No. 34.
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Vanbianchi, R., M.L. Stevens, T. Sullivan & S. Hashisaki 1994. *A
citizen\'s guide to wetland restoration*. U.S. EPA, Region 10, Seattle,
Washington. 71 pp.

##### Prepared By

*Michelle Stevens*

Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

*Dale C. Darris*

USDA, NRCS, Oregon Plant Materials Center, Corvallis, Oregon

##### Species Coordinator

*M. Kat Anderson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

c/o Plant Sciences Department, University of California, Davis,
California

Edited: 19sep00 jsp; 060818 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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