Huckleberries and blueberries are not related closely at all. Huckleberries are in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Blueberries are in the blueberry family, Ericacaea. Their morphologies, or growth forms, are very very different.
When I looked into this what I came away with was there was a single species of nightshade that is sometimes called “Garden Huckleberries”, which are unrelated to what are commonly known as “true huckleberries”. True Huckleberries are all in the genera Vaccinium and Gaylussacia, which are contained in the family Ericaceae, of which “Ericacaea” is either an alternative or misspelling.
Ericaceae is the family name. There is no alternative spelling, it was a typo on my part. (The comment above yours is edited to be clearer) Thank you for catching that. Plant family names end in ‘eae’.
Thank you for the description of Vaccinium and Gaylussacia. That is super interesting, I’ve never heard them referred to as “true huckleberries”.
Your comment points to the larger issue with common names. And I apologize if you know this, but hopefully it is helpful to folks who come across this post. Common names can be applied to two or more plants that aren’t related. They are colloquial and can apply to edible plants and poisonous plants at once. Some plants have multiple common names. Some plants have no common names at all because they have no existing functional relationship with humanity. Many common names are simply adopted from the species’ genera (I like this!). Common names cause confusion and muck up the clarity of botanical conversation of people across places/upbringings.
You must be confused, or perhaps you’re not talking about the same species that I am thinking about. Huckleberries, genus Gaylussacia, are definitely in the same family as blueberries, Vaccinium. They’re both Ericaceae, in the subfamily Vaccinioideae. Gaylussacia is definitely not in Solanaceae.
Two species of blueberry as well as cranberry grow natively in a few bog habitats near my home, and huckleberries are also sympatric with these species.
ETA: I saw some context from other comments in this chain that somebody else already beat me to this. I, too, didn’t realize that there were, if you were, “false” huckleberries in the nightshade family.
To add to both of our shared confusion, there is even a false huckleberry from within the blueberry family, but instead the Ericoideae subfamily: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/553849-Rhododendron-menziesii. I have no experience with this plant, or even really this subfamily, as it isn’t exactly endemic to my neck of the woods.
True or false, common names are confusing. Huckleberries are called huckleberries, regardless of family or genus. I wasn’t confused, I was naive. Just didn’t know that other plants were called huckleberries. Binomial nomenclature rocks.
Totally. Once you see the flowers, you can’t unsee it. Families are based on flower structures. Once you see and begin to know the flower structures, you’ll know a sage is a mint, a hibiscus is a mallow, a manzanita is a blueberry, on and on. Fun free puzzles if nothing else.
Huckleberry varieties are all Nightshades? Does that mean blueberries are Nightshades?
Huckleberries and blueberries are not related closely at all. Huckleberries are in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Blueberries are in the blueberry family, Ericacaea. Their morphologies, or growth forms, are very very different.
When I looked into this what I came away with was there was a single species of nightshade that is sometimes called “Garden Huckleberries”, which are unrelated to what are commonly known as “true huckleberries”. True Huckleberries are all in the genera Vaccinium and Gaylussacia, which are contained in the family Ericaceae, of which “Ericacaea” is either an alternative or misspelling.
Ericaceae is the family name. There is no alternative spelling, it was a typo on my part. (The comment above yours is edited to be clearer) Thank you for catching that. Plant family names end in ‘eae’.
Thank you for the description of Vaccinium and Gaylussacia. That is super interesting, I’ve never heard them referred to as “true huckleberries”.
Your comment points to the larger issue with common names. And I apologize if you know this, but hopefully it is helpful to folks who come across this post. Common names can be applied to two or more plants that aren’t related. They are colloquial and can apply to edible plants and poisonous plants at once. Some plants have multiple common names. Some plants have no common names at all because they have no existing functional relationship with humanity. Many common names are simply adopted from the species’ genera (I like this!). Common names cause confusion and muck up the clarity of botanical conversation of people across places/upbringings.
Cheers.
You must be confused, or perhaps you’re not talking about the same species that I am thinking about. Huckleberries, genus Gaylussacia, are definitely in the same family as blueberries, Vaccinium. They’re both Ericaceae, in the subfamily Vaccinioideae. Gaylussacia is definitely not in Solanaceae.
Two species of blueberry as well as cranberry grow natively in a few bog habitats near my home, and huckleberries are also sympatric with these species.
ETA: I saw some context from other comments in this chain that somebody else already beat me to this. I, too, didn’t realize that there were, if you were, “false” huckleberries in the nightshade family.
To add to both of our shared confusion, there is even a false huckleberry from within the blueberry family, but instead the Ericoideae subfamily: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/553849-Rhododendron-menziesii. I have no experience with this plant, or even really this subfamily, as it isn’t exactly endemic to my neck of the woods.
True or false, common names are confusing. Huckleberries are called huckleberries, regardless of family or genus. I wasn’t confused, I was naive. Just didn’t know that other plants were called huckleberries. Binomial nomenclature rocks.
I didn’t realise blueberries were in the Heather family but it makes sense.
Totally. Once you see the flowers, you can’t unsee it. Families are based on flower structures. Once you see and begin to know the flower structures, you’ll know a sage is a mint, a hibiscus is a mallow, a manzanita is a blueberry, on and on. Fun free puzzles if nothing else.
Youll like this little daily game about guessing plants
Oh crap. This is Wordle, but for me! Thank you!
I like this, but I wish it accepted scientific names. Common names are not a convenient way to play
I know its why i stopped playing, but it was fun for a few days
Oh yes, I was thinking about where their cousins, the bilberry naturally grows. :) I’ve found them on moorlands. Lots of Ericas up there of course.