Vaccinium shastense subsp. shastense

Shasta huckleberry, Shasta Huckleberry

(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence

Family: Ericaceae · Type: Shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Vaccinium shastense subsp. shastense (Shasta huckleberry) is a native California shrub in the Ericaceae family, recognized by erect habit, glandular bristly leaf margins, and bright pink flowers.

Shasta huckleberry is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native shrub found in the eastern Klamath Ranges in acidic soils, stream banks, conifer forest understory, and rocky crevices at elevations of 320 to 1,225 meters. Flowering from December to May, this plant produces delicate bright to pale pink, greenish, or whitish flowers with a distinctive calyx ring. Growing erect with occasional rhizomatous growth, it forms compact shrubs typically 30 to 100 centimeters tall. Its leaves are typically small and clustered, providing dense foliage that helps the plant thrive in its cool, moist mountain habitats. In rocky forest understories, this huckleberry creates small patches of green with its distinctive clustered growth form and pale blossoms.

Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB

Last updated 2026-09-30

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.