Red Huckleberry
Vaccinium parvifolium
Appearance
Red huckleberry is a shrub that can grow up to four meters tall, and has bright green branches and small (up to three centimetres long) oval leaves.
range & habitat
Red huckleberry is found growing in coastal coniferous forests, and often grows out of rotting logs and stumps. In B.C., this plant grows in the Coast and Mountains, Southern Interior Mountains, and Georgia Depression ecoprovinces.
reciprocal relationships
Red huckleberry is an important species to many beings in British Columbia. Red huckleberries are often found growing on rotting logs and stumps.
These plants will sometimes keep their leaves over winter, which can be important for grazing animals like deer or elk. It has greenish-yellow bell-shaped flowers that turn into bright-red, round berries. These berries will be eaten by many different birds and animals. After having eaten the berries, birds and animals spread the berry seeds through their droppings, thus having a reciprocal relationship with red huckleberries.
Red huckleberries have long been eaten by many coastal First Nations peoples. Sometimes wooden combs are used to rake the berries off the branches. The berries can be eaten fresh, or mashed, dried, and then made into cakes for winter use. Gargle infusions of leaves and bark are effective to soothe a sore throat. Red huckleberries are a good source of Vitamin C. They are considered an anti-aging food and can be made into a dietary supplement.
A few groups, such as the Kwakwaka’wakw, boil the berries with salmon spawn in cedar boxes and then seal the tops of the boxes with eulachon (a type of fish) and skunk cabbage (another plant) leaves. This preserves the berries for many months.
These plants will sometimes keep their leaves over winter, which can be important for grazing animals like deer or elk. It has greenish-yellow bell-shaped flowers that turn into bright-red, round berries. These berries will be eaten by many different birds and animals. After having eaten the berries, birds and animals spread the berry seeds through their droppings, thus having a reciprocal relationship with red huckleberries.
Red huckleberries have long been eaten by many coastal First Nations peoples. Sometimes wooden combs are used to rake the berries off the branches. The berries can be eaten fresh, or mashed, dried, and then made into cakes for winter use. Gargle infusions of leaves and bark are effective to soothe a sore throat. Red huckleberries are a good source of Vitamin C. They are considered an anti-aging food and can be made into a dietary supplement.
A few groups, such as the Kwakwaka’wakw, boil the berries with salmon spawn in cedar boxes and then seal the tops of the boxes with eulachon (a type of fish) and skunk cabbage (another plant) leaves. This preserves the berries for many months.
more information
If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca.
photo credit
Canva
