| General Description | Deerberry is a flowering, deciduous shrub that belongs to the Ericaceae Family. This edible woody shrub produces dark blue fruit July through September. The papery bark as well as autumn colour are appealing to the eye. |
| ID Characteristic | Vaccinium stamineum has bell-shaped corollas and long stamens. The fruit appears globular and deep blue in colour. Mature shrubs have grey-brown, papery bark. New growth will appear furry and red in colour. |
| Shape | An upright low-lying globular woody shrub. |
| Landscape | Vaccinium stamineum is known to be beneficial to ecological restoration and native plant gardens. It attracts a variety of pollinators and wildlife. Deerberry is commonly pollinated by bees but also supplies a source of food to both birds as well as deer and other small mammals. |
| Propagation | Deerberry has been found to propagate by itself through rhizomes. There has been little success of propagating in greenhouses. |
| Cultivation | Deerberry grows best in dry, sandy, acidic soils, while favoring full sun to partial shade. |
| Pests | Pests include the stem borer, fall webworm, scale and tent caterpillars. |
| Habitat | Vaccinium stamineum is commonly identified in open oak woodlands in the understory of Hamamelis, Acer saccharum, and a variety of Quercus species. Some Deerberry habitats have been found to have a history of fire. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Bark appears grey-brown in colour, young bark is furry in texture but with age becomes somewhat papery and begins to peel over time. New growth appears furry and red green in colour. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | The leaves measure 3-7 mm in length and 1.5-2.5 cm in width. They are described as alternate and simple. The underside of the leaves appear whitish and furry while the top is dull, waxy and dark green in colour. Leaves turn from green to deep red in the autumn. |
| Leaf Description | The leaves measure 3-7 mm in length and 1.5-2.5 cm in width. They are described as alternate and simple. The underside of the leaves appear whitish and furry while the top is dull, waxy and dark green in colour. Leaves turn from green to deep red in the autumn. |
| Flower Description | White, greenish and sometimes pinkish in colour, these campanula flowers with five petals bloom early April to June. The bell-shaped flowers are attached to long racemes and present themselves on the axils of leafy bracts, hanging in clusters of 3-10. They are pollinated by insects (mostly bees.) |
| Fruit Description | Vaccinium stamineum produces globular sometimes oblate fruit from July to September that measures 10-15 mm. The thin-skinned fruit begins light green and matures to a dark blue, sometimes purple with a visible waxy coating. Deerberry fruit are known for attracting both birds and mammals. |
| Colour Description | Vaccinium stamineum’s juvenile bark can be green with a hint of red, as the plant matures the bark will appear grey brown in colour. The foliage appears green but, as autumn approaches it quickly changes to deep-red and yellow. Deerberry’s flowers can range in colour. They may appear white with a hint or green and occasionally even have pinkish undertones. |
| Texture Description | The foliage is waxy in texture and the bark is quite papery. |