Mountain huckleberry

Vaccinium membranaceum

The mountain huckleberry is native to western North America and is found in southern Alaska. It is a fire-adapted deciduous shrub that can grow to 3-5 feet high and is resistant to low-intensity wildfires.

Huckleberries flower in May and June, and berries ripen in August. The berries are a key food source for grizzly and black bears, and the vegetation is browsed by other animals in spring.

Huckleberries can be eaten fresh, frozen, dried, and canned, and are popularly used in pies and ice cream. They are a great source of vitamin C, and have been cultivated and eaten by Native Americans for centuries.

Works Cited:
Schofield, Janice J. Alaska’s Wild Plants: A Guide to Alaska’s Edible Harvest (Alaska Northwest Books: Seattle, WA), 1997, 42.
Wikipedia
wildhuckleberry.com

Image Credits
Images have been cropped and resized

Ripe berries
🅭2014 Katja Schulz, CC BY 2.0
Leaves and twigs
🅭2014 Katja Schulz, CC BY 2.0
Flowers in bloom
🅭2008 “Christine”, no user profile available, CC BY 2.0
Early fall colors
🅭2024 Aagnverglaser, CC BY 4.0