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Origins and History of Blueberries
Historical information on Northern Highbush blueberry, Southern Rabbiteye
blueberry, Wild Lowbush blueberry, Northern Highbush blueberry and
others
History of Blueberry Plants
Copyright © 2007 Patrick Malcolm
Very few historical records exist on ancient blueberry culture in
the Greek and Roman empires. Those cultures did use parts of the
blueberry plants and fruit to eat or to treat ailments. The size
and flavor of native blueberry plants was extremely variable, and
the USDA, modern, extensive research and development of choice
selections was judged on a basis of taste, yield of plants,
aroma, small berry seeds, and the lasting quality of the fresh
berries increased the popularity of this fruit in a period of
fifty years as one of America's favorite agricultural products.
William Bartram, the early American botanist and explorer,
reported seeing various members of the native blueberry plant
relatives, Vaccinium varietas, as he and his father, John Bartram
took an inventory of plants to establish on Georgia farms in his
book, Travels, in 1773.
Luther Burbank was perhaps America's most prolific hybridizer of
fruits, and he imported many native species of blueberries,
Vaccinium Spp., from other countries and reported in his book,
Small Fruits in 1921, that very little improvement had been made
to produce a commercially, improved blueberry bush. In recent
years the USDA has released excellent yielding blueberries that,
when fully ripened, are sweetly flavored, aromatically pleasing,
and easy to harvest. Some cultivars of blueberry plants can be
machine harvested. Fresh blueberries are available in United
States markets, beginning in April and extending until October.
Recent reports from health researchers have shown that blueberry
fruit is higher in antioxidants than any other fruit or
vegetable. These antioxidants block the presence of chemically
charged particles called, "free radicals," that are believed to
be the threat that initiates disease problems. The antioxidants
are believed to be important in preventing cancer, stroke, heart
disease, and loss of memory resulting from Alzheimer's disease.
Chemically active anthocyanin pigments found in blueberries can
improve failing eyesight and can prevent macular disintegration
resulting from aging.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, blueberries
fight urinary tract infections and help to prevent eye macular
degeneration, says Dr. Ronald Prior, director of the USDA. Early
Indian culture in America taught that eating blueberries was good
for coughs, and the blueberry bush leaves were used as a tea and
health tonic. The North American Blueberry Council says that
blueberry juice has higher concentrations of antioxidants than
any of the 40 juices tested. Other health benefits from
blueberries are Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C,
Niacin, and the minerals calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and
iron.
Blueberries are loved by animals, birds, and many types of
wildlife, such as deer, duck, and even bears. The berries provide
wildlife a source of food over a very long period of feeding,
when food is scarce at off season periods. Birds sometimes can be
a pest to the backyard blueberry gardener, but the bird's
appetite can be overcome by either the use of a screen netting to
protect and cover the blueberry bushes, or a gardener can plant
enough blueberry bushes for his own growing needs and the birds
as well.
Blueberries are expected to rapidly become the most sought-after
small fruit on the American market. Fifty percent of blueberries
are grown for the fresh fruit market and Canada grows 25% of the
world demand for blueberries. Growing blueberry plants is easy,
but the culture differs considerably from growing other fruits
and berries.
If a blueberry gardener understands the origin of wild blueberry
plant occurrence, it is easy to predict the soil requirements
necessary to successfully grow blueberries. The blueberry plants
are found in the wild, growing on very poor, sandy soil with
roots that surround the underground layers of decayed organic
matter. The acidity or pH level is very low for wild blueberry
plants and the bushes prosper in this acid environment.
Fertilizer kills more blueberry plants than any other single
thing. Blueberry commercial production is highest in Michigan,
followed by Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, and Georgia. It is truly
amazing that the blueberry can be grown in the South into Florida
and then northwards to Arctic North America. Most blueberries are
cross pollinated by insects such as bees and bumblebees. Most
gardeners plant at least two different cultivars of blueberry
plants for the additional advantages of extending the ripening
season. Gardeners love planting a berry with no thorns to prick
fingers at picking time, the occurrence of tiny seeds that aid in
digestion, and the enjoyment of seeing the kaleidoscope of
rainbow colors during the winter after the first freeze.
Blueberry plants are among the most cold tolerant of all the
small fruits, and in the South, the plants often only lose the
leaves for a month, often blooming as early as January. Even if
the flowers of blueberries freeze, a second wave of flowering
will follow during later warm-ups in the weather.
Basically three types of blueberry are grown commercially in the
United States; the Northern Highbush blueberry, Vaccinium
corymbosum L.; the Southern Rabbiteye blueberry, Vaccinium ashei;
and the Lowbush blueberry, also called the Wild Lowbush
blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium.
The Northern Highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L., is
grown in zones 4 to 7. Much of the early production appearing at
blueberry markets came from native blueberry plants, but new
cultivars of Northern Highbush blueberry plants are very
promising, such as: Bluejay blueberry, Bluecrop blueberry,
Blueray blueberry, Jersey blueberry, and Patriot blueberry.
USDA blueberry releases for Southern Rabbiteye blueberry,
Vaccinium ashei, have been numerous. These include the older
cultivars: Southland, Woodard, Bluebelle, Blue Gem, and more
recent blueberry releases are Tiftblue, Climax, Delite,
Brightblue, Brightwell, Bonita, Powderblue, and Austin
blueberry.
The Lowbush or Wild Blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium, is the
most cold hardy type of blueberry, and commercially the plants
are dwarf and only grow 1 to 2 feet tall. Most are not improved
varieties, but variable native bushes. One modern Lowbush
blueberry release is "Top Hat" blueberry, and the state of
Maine accounts for the largest production of Lowbush blueberry
bushes adaptable in zones 3 to 6.
In Florida and other various hot sections of the United States,
many of these blueberry species have been interhybridized and
complexly mixed to produce a wide array of plants adapted for hot
climates. These cultivars are Beckyblue blueberry, Aliceblue
blueberry, Sharpblue blueberry, Floridablue blueberry, Avonblue
blueberry, Blue Ridge blueberry, Cape Fear blueberry, Gulf Coast
blueberry, O'Neal blueberry, and Georgia Gem blueberry. These
blueberry plants are best grown in zones 7 to 10.
Blueberries have many valuable gourmet food uses as in blueberry
pancakes, blueberry pies, blueberry jam, blueberry juice, frozen
and canned blueberries, and drying under vacuum, the blueberries
can last for years to be rehydrated to eat in cereals and other
things. These dried blueberries are especially promising for use
in Army K ration canning in foreign countries.
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Written by: Patrick Malcolm. Learn more about various trees
by visiting the author's website:
http://www.tytyga.com
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