越桔 yue ju

Vaccinium jesoense Miquel.

Shrubs dwarf, evergreen, 10–30 cm tall, erect or prostrate basally, rhizomatous. Twigs ?terete, pubescent; bud scales inconspicuous. Leaves dense; petiole ca. 1 mm, puberulous; leaf blade elliptic or obovate, 0.7–2 cm × 4–8 mm, leathery, abaxially with appressed glandular hairs, adaxially glabrous or puberulous on midvein, secondary veins 5 or 6 pairs, fine veins inconspicuous on both surfaces, base broadly cuneate, margin revolute, undulate-crenate, apex rounded, mucronulate, or retuse. Inflorescences terminal, racemose, 1–1.5 cm, puberulous, 2–8-flowered; bracts caducous, broadly ovate, ca. 3 mm. Pedicel ca. 1 mm, puberulous; bracteoles ± median. Flowers 4-merous. Hypanthium glabrous; calyx lobes broadly triangular, ca. 1 mm. Corolla white or pink, campanulate, ca. 5 mm; lobes erect, triangular-ovate, 2–2.5 mm. Filaments ca. 0.5 mm, puberulous; anthers ca. 1.5 mm, without spurs; tubules ca. as long as thecae. Berry 4-loculed, purplish red, 5–10 mm in diam., acidic or slightly bitter. Fl. Jun–Jul, fr. Aug–Sep. 2n = 24*.

Betula and Larix forest, meadows, alpine grasslands; 900–3200 m. Heilongjiang, Jilin, Nei Mongol, Shanxi, Xinjiang [Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia; Europe, North America].

The berries are nutritious, and are especially tasty after overwintering.