Montanans are so used to their huckleberries that they don't realize the Montana berries don t match the requirements for a true huckleberry. Real huckleberries have 10 fairly large bony seeds that make a real crunch when you bite down on them, Gough explained. Blueberries, on the other hand, have up to 65 small seeds. Authentic huckleberries have leaves with an underside that looks like someone slipped and spilled varnish on them. Blueberry leaves have no such resin.
True huckleberries have pink flowers, while blueberries have mostly white flowers.
Real huckleberries grow east of the Mississippi River, mostly under larger trees in conditions of high moisture, well-drained soil and acidic soils with a pH of about 5. Blueberries, on the other hand, die back to the snow line when the temperature drops below 20 degrees below zero. Some of them get really nasty. I say, 'Call them what you want to call them. No matter what they call them, Gough still has to answer lots of questions about Montana huckleberries.